


animagus

by cravatty (averyblue), ramenrulz8P



Series: accio! (svt x mx hogwarts au) [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Joshua Hong-centric, M/M, Triwizard Tournament, lo and behold unrequited cheolsoo at the beginning so yeah there's angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-24 10:37:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9719390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/averyblue/pseuds/cravatty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramenrulz8P/pseuds/ramenrulz8P
Summary: In his spare time, Joshua roams the halls of Hogwarts.





	1. Chapter 1

Joshua needed a breather.

After spending most of the afternoon helping Seungcheol master nonverbal spells (with Jeonghan just sitting at the corner either laughing at Seungcheol’s mistakes or sleeping in ridiculous positions), Joshua crammed a parchment-long Potions essay he almost forgot was due tomorrow. Thankfully, his interest in the laws of antidote-making allowed him to finish his homework within two hours. Sleep would have easily been his next move if not for the fact that Joshua couldn’t sleep a wink.

The First Task of the Triwizard Tournament was just a few days away, and he still couldn’t grasp the fact that Seungcheol might have to face a gigantic beast. Jeonghan said he had heard Durmstrang students muttering to themselves before he met up with them, and his limited Bulgarian vocabulary just so happened to include the words ‘big’ and ‘creature’ in it. Seungcheol, ever the typical Gryffindor, puffed his chest out and confidently declared he would be prepared for anything.

Joshua wasn’t the Hogwarts Champion, no, but he was definitely more stressed out than the champion himself.

He slipped out of his room, spotting Wonwoo on the couch perusing through Hogwarts: A History for what possibly was the hundredth time. Everyone else was just as busy with their own affairs, making it easy for Joshua to pass by unnoticed and rush to the boy’s bathroom. No one was inside either, prompting him to enter a cubicle, closing the door without locking it.

Within a second, he found himself on all fours and fluffed up.

There were three things people didn’t know about Joshua Hong. One was that he was so close to attending the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry if not for his parents transferring jobs to London. Two was that he loved dogs more than cats, especially puppies, even though he owned a part-Kneazle cat. Three was that he was an Animagus.

He was registered by the age of thirteen, but it wasn’t something he bragged about. Not even Jeonghan or Seungcheol knew about it, and it was for the best. If they happened to know, who knows what shenanigans they would drag him into.

If someone were to know facts two and three about Joshua Hong and ask why he owned a part-Kneazle cat, Joshua would simply answer, “Because my Animagus form looks very, very much like this cat.”

There was an advantage for having an Animagus that looked almost exactly like his pet. One of Joshua’s favorite things in the world was how he could mimic his cat’s actions towards certain people to have them assist him. Wonwoo was one of those certain people, as he often opened the common room door for Joshua’s cat if he brushed his pastel fur against Wonwoo’s leg while the boy was reading.

It’s what exactly Joshua did once he reached the common room, noting how Wonwoo didn’t shudder the slightest upon contact. A hand wrapped around his belly, and Joshua found himself being carried onto Wonwoo’s lap.

“Whose cat is that?” came a voice. One of Wonwoo’s sixth year friends. Changkyun, was it?

“Joshua,” Wonwoo replied.

“Cool,” Changkyun said, directing a small smile at Joshua. “Pretty rare to see a male calico.”

Wonwoo chuckled as he stroked the fur on Joshua’s head. “He’s half-Kneazle too. Joshua really hit the jackpot with this one.”

“What’s his name?”

“Dorito.”

A little snort escaped Changkyun’s lips, watching bemusedly as Joshua rubbed his front paws against Wonwoo’s dark blue sweater.

“Alright, alright, I know what you want,” Wonwoo mumbles.

Joshua felt Wonwoo’s hands cradle him up before placing him on the ground. Wonwoo excused himself from Changkyun and walked to the common room door, Joshua following suit with little steps. He would be lying if he said he was already used to walking in his Animagus form. The sensation of shrinking always overwhelmed him, and feline anatomy was too different for him to adjust easily to.

Joshua brushed against Wonwoo’s pajama bottoms and hopped out of the Ravenclaw common room, meowing once at Wonwoo as he pulled the door to a close. Joshua maneuvered to the side when he spotted another student rushing up the stairs, thunder-like footsteps and shallow breaths resonating in his pointed cat ears.

“W-wait!” the boy gasped, stomping on the final step of the staircase and grabbing the door. Wonwoo pushed the door open again, donning a quizzical look.

“Isn’t it the 5th years’ turn to patrol, Jihoon?” Wonwoo asked.

The boy exhaled, rubbing his left eye and yawning, and pushed past him. Joshua heard the boy’s voice fade from the doorway, only catching the words ‘fourth year hooligans’ and ‘dungbombs’ before the door slowly creaked shut. As expected of the sixth year Prefect, Jihoon took his responsibilities seriously even on off days, and Joshua hoped Jihoon didn’t have any homework to do after having to deal with trouble.

He made his way to the Grand Staircase, resting on the steps every time the staircase he stood on moved. Joshua didn’t really have a destination in mind, but he planned to keep roaming until exhaustion overpowered his nonstop thoughts.

By the time he reached the third floor, the putrid trademark stench of dungbombs engulfed his senses and made him hurry to the next staircase. Cranky screeches of the Hogwarts caretaker boomed from a nearby hallway. Joshua caught a glimpse of Peeves the Poltergeist snickering as he floated out of the same hallway, followed by a panicking Gryffindor Prefect and the now angrier caretaker. A piercing explosion blared on the floor, and green wisps of smoke began leaking from the hallway passage. Joshua leapt to the staircase rail leading to the ground floor before he could get a whiff of the stink and before the caretaker could run over his tail.

He landed on the ground floor with poise, but almost jumped with standing hairs on his entire body in surprise at the voice behind him.

“You, boy! What are you doing out late?”

“Uh… it’s not even ten o’clock yet…” the boy answered. The voice was familiar.

Joshua meowed, catching the attention of the boy. He stared up, and meowed again.

“Oh, hey little fella!” the boy said, smiling right at Joshua. He meowed again, acknowledging the fact that he indeed knew him.

The boy was none other than Mingyu, his younger friend in Hufflepuff.

He felt callused fingers tickle the skin underneath his front legs as Mingyu gently lifted him up and cradled Joshua in his arms. Joshua did little to resist, since he knew Mingyu had a soft spot for the real Dorito and would feel devastated if Dorito scampered away from him.

Considering that he was masquerading as his cat, he had no choice but to go wherever Mingyu did.

“You’d better go back to your common room, boy. Or you’ll get detention!” the caretaker repeated, his wrinkly face as sour as his tone.

Mingyu didn’t waste a second to turn around and walk away. Joshua glanced at the younger boy’s face, humored that Mingyu was leering at the corner of his widened eyes.

“All I did was meet Minghao… geez,” Mingyu muttered under his breath, pouting like a kicked pup. If Joshua weren’t in his Animagus form, he’d laugh.

He had met Mingyu back on his first day in third year during the train ride to Hogwarts. Seungcheol was dragged away by a younger Gryffindor friend before they could even talk while Jeonghan spent his ride with fellow Slytherins, leaving Joshua alone in his own compartment to read up on Arithmancy with newly bought Dorito as his only company. Mingyu had knocked on his compartment door, sheepishly saying he didn’t know anyone and the other compartments were full. Joshua had welcomed him with open arms, delighted that he would be conversing with a first year student and a Korean one to boot. He had learned that Mingyu was Muggle-Born and had no idea what the houses were, since he hadn’t opened his copy of Hogwarts: A History yet.

Back then, Mingyu was still shorter than him and a little shy, but his dark brown eyes were full of eagerness and kindness. “Like a puppy,” Joshua had said, and Mingyu had beamed at him while stroking Dorito’s fur.

They parted ways when the train stopped, and the next Joshua saw him was when Mingyu was sorted into Hufflepuff. But even with their different houses, Mingyu had always greeted him every morning during breakfast and every evening during dinner. He never stopped during his first three years. Naturally, the boy was able to make more friends and Joshua saw him less, but Mingyu still greeted him when they passed by each other. Despite this, what truly kept Mingyu constant in Joshua’s life was their exchanging letters during the holidays and breaks.

Mingyu grew up to be somewhat popular in Hogwarts, especially after becoming a Chaser in the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team. He was agile and fast and full of spirit that Joshua couldn’t help but cheer for him even when he was against the Ravenclaw team. Of course, Mingyu had ceaselessly reminded Joshua to watch all his games back when he was still fresh in his team, and Joshua had promised, teasing that he was doing so just so Mingyu would stop telling him. But even if he didn’t promise, Joshua would still do so.

Joshua glanced at Mingyu, amazed at how time molded the shy boy reluctant towards a magical life into a warm figure in the Hufflepuff house. His jawline was more defined, sharp, compared to his eleven-year old self’s slim face with chubby cheeks. Mingyu was taller now too – incredibly so that Joshua would have to look up to meet his eyes, Animagus form or not. The youthful voice he had was now deeper, only slightly. Joshua remembered the letters Mingyu sent filled with complaints about his cracking voice and clumsy feet a few years ago.

But even with Mingyu’s growth spurt, his eyes still had their joyful, innocent glimmer. His general look and his manner of speaking were still boyish, and he still moved like the child Joshua knew so well. It was endearing for Joshua, the way Mingyu hadn’t really changed despite everything.

He broke away from his musings when he caught a whiff of vanilla in the air. He meowed, hoping for a response from Mingyu, who still cradled him like a delicate baby.

“Ah, you’re hungry too, huh?” Mingyu laughed, stroking Joshua’s head. “We’re almost near the kitchen, don’t worry.”

Joshua meowed, knowing Mingyu wouldn’t understand that he was amused at Mingyu’s antics. It wasn’t a secret that this boy had a troll-sized appetite, and now he took advantage of his knowledge on the kitchen entrance. Mingyu had found out about it during his second year, Joshua recalled, because he was the first one Mingyu told about it.

Mingyu slowly crouched downwards and placed Joshua back on his feet, sitting by the corridor wall and beside a painting of a fruit bowl.

“Here, Dorito, here,” Mingyu cooed.

 _I’m not Dorito_ was equated to a meow before Joshua walked closer to him. Mingyu smiled and began stroking Joshua’s back with care.

“That was a long walk,” Mingyu said, sighing. “Maybe ten minutes. Then we’ll get snacks. Is that okay with you?”

_Yes._

Joshua found himself being pulled closer again by Mingyu and placed on his lap.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, Dorito,” Mingyu grinned, patting Joshua’s head lightly. He looked genuinely happy, making Joshua wonder how often Mingyu and Dorito met up with one another. “How have you been?”

Joshua tilted his head in response. It looked like the right one since Mingyu’s smile only grew wider. “I know, silly question. Joshua takes care of you so well.”

He felt flattered Mingyu thought that way, even though he wasn’t sure if Dorito himself thought Joshua was a good owner. Joshua only cuddled him at times, since Dorito wasn’t a very touchy feely cat (like most cats, he realized) and he preferred strolling around Hogwarts during the morning and on some nights. Some nights only, because Dorito’s favorite pastime was sleeping.

“How’s Joshua, by the way? I haven’t seen him in a while. Oh, wait, I did earlier! He was with Seungcheol…”

Mingyu trailed off, and Joshua noticed a little pout on his face. Maybe he was mulling over the fact that Seungcheol was the Hogwarts champion. He did remember Wonwoo telling Jihoon about how Mingyu wanted to try his hand at the tournament if not for the age restriction.

“Ah, you know, something really weird happened earlier,” Mingyu said, snapping his fingers. Joshua tilted his head to the other side.

“Earlier, I forgot my Ancient Runes book in the dungeons so I barged in Kihy… uh, Professor Kihyun’s Potions class with the Sixth Years. I should know since Wonwoo and Jihoon were there. And you know, the room smelled like chocolate!”

Joshua stared at Mingyu in confusion. The Slytherin dungeons smelling like chocolate was definitely hard to grasp. He had no knowledge of a Potion that smelled like chocolate, and he doubted that someone was brewing the delicacy either.

Mingyu looked clearly confused as well. “It was so weird. Really weird. I couldn’t ask Wonwoo because Professor Kihyun was glaring at me for interrupting the class already.”

_That is weird._

Joshua had to deal with his responses being mere mewls, even when his curiosity was already at its peak. Mingyu was brilliant with Potions, as emphasized by Joshua’s fellow Frog Choir member Seokmin, and seeing him puzzled this way was unexpected.

Mingyu sighed and placed a hand on Joshua’s head, smiling softly. “I wish you could talk. You’re a really smart cat and maybe you know what Potion I’m talking about.”

_I’m not a cat, I don't know the potion, and I wish you could understand what I’m saying._

“Then again, you know most of my secrets so… it’s better you didn’t talk,” he continued, chuckling.

_What secrets?_

“You’re meowing a lot. Guess we have to get food now then, huh?”

As Mingyu rubbed the painted pear on the fruit bowl portrait, Joshua couldn’t help but wonder what secrets Dorito knew about Mingyu.


	2. Chapter 2

With a gentle but definitive swing of the hand, Joshua wordlessly conjured a ball of blue flame in a little glass jam jar. Beside him, Seungcheol huffed before pushing himself off the corridor window sill.

"How is it so easy for you?"

Joshua blinked as he placed the cap on his jar. "The bluebell flame charm is simple."

A laugh echoed from the window sill arc across his. "You know what he means, Josh," Jeonghan said.

He gripped his jam jar, frowning. Seungcheol kept egging him about advanced nonverbal magic ever since he was chosen as the Hogwarts champion, and it took Joshua all his patience to tolerate Seungcheol’s sudden need to be as skilled as him in the field. Seungcheol wasn’t particularly bad at nonverbal magic, especially because it was a must for them to learn since sixth year, but it took time to master the trade after five years of being taught about proper incantations. 

“You don’t really have to use nonverbal magic, Seungcheol,” Joshua sighed, placing the warm jar on his lap. “If ever, you can still whisper spells if you want that illusion.”

“What if the creature hears me, though?” Seungcheol retorted, pouting like a child. Joshua rolled his eyes and turned away, placing his feet on the window sill. He held the jam jar close to his chest as his eyes scanned the view of the Forbidden Forest. Snow wasn’t falling just yet, but the partially open windows welcomed the cool breeze into the corridor.

“Just admit you want to show off,” Jeonghan called.

He could hear Seungcheol’s footsteps pace to the end of the corridor. Anyone who knew Seungcheol was well aware of his competitive spirit, and Joshua couldn’t blame him for wanting to be the best champion Hogwarts could have. The Goblet of Fire had chosen him for a reason, but Seungcheol deemed his current magical skillset lacking. While improvement and preparation was definitely a must, Joshua could admit to himself that his friend’s impatient need to master nonverbal magic overnight was a bad stretch.

Seungcheol buried his face in his hand as he softly spoke out his anxious thoughts. “I don’t want to shame Hogwarts… and myself.”

His voice grew even fainter and a little scared as he asked, “What if everyone thinks I’m a mistake?”

Joshua could see the weight of his worry through the furrow of his brow. But it was clear who he was addressing. He could see Jeonghan across him returning Seungcheol’s gaze, the fiery confidence in his eyes still burning as brightly as before, never flickering.

“If they think you’re a mistake, they can go fight the Goblet of Fire for picking you.” Jeonghan’s chuckles echoed through the corridor, melding together with Seungcheol’s even softer laughter.

“You’ll be fine, Cheol,” Jeonghan said with sincerity. He gritted his teeth as he continued, “Just remember, if you die, I’ll kill you. So don’t you dare die on me.”

Seungcheol replied with a hearty laugh. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Han,” he coaxed.

The atmosphere had changed and suddenly Joshua felt like an outsider looking in, seeing his friends lost in the world only they inhabited together. The world where there wasn’t room for him. He turned away, giving his attention to the jar in his hands. In its reflection, Joshua could see Seungcheol smiling at Jeonghan like he’d hung all the stars in the sky.

Joshua inhaled and closed his eyes, feeling the familiar painful throb in his chest. It was the pain he’d grown accustomed to over the last two years, a pain he wished would disappear. And yet, even with his eyes closed he could see Seungcheol’s smile.

Even if that smile wasn’t for him, Joshua couldn’t bear to never see it again. Joshua opened his eyes, and looked at Seungcheol - his mind stirring with the thoughts he couldn’t say aloud.

“Don’t you dare die on me too…” Joshua whispered quietly, breathily. Only he would hear it.

He gripped the bluebell jam jar tightly, but his fingertips were numb towards the heat.

* * *

Joshua hadn’t noticed he dozed off in the library after an hour of reading about magical fungi until he felt a feather-like touch tickle his nose. He shook his head and stretched his arms before noticing two figures walking away from his table. One of them was definitely Wonwoo, right from the build of his body to the Ravenclaw blue of his robe’s hood, while the other was in a Ravenclaw Quidditch Team uniform. Joshua could only suspect this was Changkyun, since Wonwoo only hung out with select people and the boy just so happened to be one of the Beaters in their Quidditch team.

“Wonwoo?” he squeaked, raising a brow when the boy jolted in surprise. The two boys slowly turned around, both plain-faced.

“I’m sorry if I accidentally woke you,” Wonwoo began, rubbing the nape of his neck, eyes on the floor.

Joshua tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”

“I dropped a note on your book and it must’ve woken you up,” the boy explained, pointing at Joshua’s direction. Joshua’s eyes fell on the open Herbology book he slept on and noticed a square piece of parchment right above the page’s title text.

“From Jihoon,” spoke Changkyun, causing Joshua to glance at the boy. They weren’t close and Joshua would often think twice about his name, but it amused him that Changkyun gave off a similar vibe as Wonwoo, especially with the way they kept their faces straight and solemn.

Joshua nodded and beamed at them. “Thank you.”

He stifled a laugh as he watched the two boys wave at him in unison and walk away, footsteps matching each other to a tee. Once they were out of sight, Joshua unfolded the piece of parchment and smirked at the rare sight of Jihoon’s messy scrawl. He must have been rushing when he wrote this.

**frog choir meeting at 6 it’s short so don’t be late**

**jihoon**

Joshua took out his pocket watch, eyes snapping wider as he read _5:34_. He slammed the book below him shut, quickly racing to the checkout counter, taking note that it would be at least a fifteen minute run to the second floor classroom where they usually held meetings. He could feel the librarian’s piercing stare as he sprinted out of the library.

He took a turn and crashed headfirst onto someone, falling backwards and onto his rear, book flying out of his grasp. Joshua quickly stretched to grab the book and stood up, panicking and hoping the other person wasn’t hurt as well.

He immediately crouched and extended his hand when he saw Mingyu sprawled on the floor, wincing and groaning from his impact on the ground. “M-Mingyu! I’m so, so sorry!”

Mingyu blinked, eyes still squinting, but his pained expression quickly shifted into a smile. “It’s you!” he grinned.

Mingyu took Joshua’s hand and slowly stood up, the latter relieved that Mingyu wasn’t angry and that he didn’t hit his head. He was beaming brightly at Joshua, even, with a smile reminiscent to the one Mingyu gave him last night.

Well, not _him,_ but “Dorito.”

“Joshua!” Mingyu exclaimed all of a sudden. “It’s so nice to see you again!”

He replied with a graceful smile. “I share the same sentiment. I haven’t seen you since Halloween.”

 _Lies_. Joshua gripped the book tightly – he should be used to lying about this, even to someone as kind and trustworthy as Mingyu.

“Are you hurt?” he continued. “I’m really sorry for crashing onto you.”

Mingyu shook his head, still smiling. “It’s really fine! It didn’t really hurt anyway,” he assured. “But you were rushing. Where are you going?”

“Frog Choir meeting. I received Jihoon’s note late and it’s going to start in a few minutes,” Joshua replied, exhaling exasperatedly. He wasn’t angry about the sudden announcement, but the choir leaders should have at least planned ahead on how to send their notes. If Wonwoo and Changkyun hadn’t found him on time, Joshua would have been completely unaware of the meeting.

Mingyu’s eyes brightened. “M-may I go with you? I’m looking for Seokmin, and since he’s in the Frog Choir…”

Joshua nodded. “Sure.”

He took out his pocket watch again to check the time. _5:39._ If he walked briskly, maybe he could be there in twenty minutes or less. Having Mingyu by his side would at least make the walk less stressful.

“How have you been, Mingyu?” Joshua asked.

The younger boy flashed a small smile. “Fine. Mostly doing homework because Ravenclaw booked the entire week for Quidditch practice.”

Joshua raised a brow. “Are you trying to tell me something, Mingyu? You do know I’m not the proper authority to discuss with on reserving the Quidditch Pitch,” he chimed. The little pout on Mingyu’s face made chuckles bubble in Joshua’s throat. Mingyu always pouted when he felt teased, and Joshua used to pinch the younger boy’s puffed up cheeks back when he was still shorter than him.

“You could tell Wonwoo… then he’d tell Changkyun…” Mingyu mumbled in a child-like voice. Joshua couldn’t help but snort and grab one of Mingyu’s cheeks, pulling it gently. It was still soft and slightly chubby.

“You tell Wonwoo,” Joshua suggested, sticking his tongue out. “You guys are close friends anyway. Don’t be shy.”

He dropped his hold on Mingyu’s cheek, and the younger boy began rubbing it lightly. “I know, but I barely see him. Well, maybe yesterday, but Professor Kihyun looked ready to kill me.”

“I’d need the context to understand,” Joshua reminded, feigning unfamiliarity with what Mingyu was saying.

Mingyu lightly slapped his forehead with the base of his palm. “Ah, right. You’re not the one I told about it.” Joshua squinted his eyes at Mingyu, and the boy laughed awkwardly and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I-I’m forgetful, sorry. I haven’t had enough sleep last night. A-anyway, I accidentally forgot my Ancient Runes book in the dungeons yesterday, so I barged in one of Professor Kihyun’s Potions classes. Wonwoo was there but I was shooed away.”

“I’m amazed he let you get the book,” Joshua replied, smirking. “Kih-um, Professor Kihyun has always been strict.”

“Based on experience in the Frog Choir?” Mingyu chirped.

He nodded. “Yeah. He really went all out during his last year so our performance during Halloween then would be perfect. He’s our choir adviser now, but he taught Jihoon how to lead the club in case he wouldn’t be able to make it during meetings,” Joshua answered. He tapped his chin and continued, “So, who did you tell this to that made you think you told me?”

Joshua was curious. Since Dorito couldn’t really speak, Joshua wasn’t aware of who actually catered to Dorito’s whims when outside the Ravenclaw dormitory every single day. He knew Jeonghan didn’t get along with Dorito while Seungcheol always mentioned to Joshua whenever he gets the chance to cuddle with his cat. The true extent of Mingyu’s closeness with Dorito was still a mystery to Joshua, especially with the fact that Mingyu had said Dorito was his secret keeper.

“Seokmin,” Mingyu answered, chuckling softly. “H-he reminds me of you sometimes. You’re not noisy but you two make me laugh a lot.”

Joshua snorted. Mingyu had always been humorously frank with his words. “Wait until Seokmin finds out you called him noisy.”

“He knows that already,” Mingyu sighed. “And he always sings even louder when I tell him that.”

“Typical Seokmin,” Joshua laughed. “You have to hand it to him, though, he’s really good in balancing all his activities.”

Mingyu nodded. “Yeah! But I guess he’s pretty chill this year, Triwizard Tournament and all. We don’t have to train as hard as we would for Quidditch since we don’t have any games.”

“So you’re practicing for next year?” Joshua asked.

“Yep. Jooheon entrusted all of us to keep the Hufflepuff winning streak going,” Mingyu cheered. Joshua smiled at the memory of the previous Hufflepuff Quidditch Team captain, especially with how Mingyu had described him through his letters. If Joshua remembered correctly, Jooheon was kind enough to help other students train, regardless of what House they came from.

“Good luck, then,” he grinned. “It’s a shame I won’t be able to watch you play next year.”

He faced Mingyu, who seemed to be pouting again. “I’ll still cheer for you, though.”

Mingyu’s brow quirked the very slightest. “Thank you. Wonwoo told me Changkyun’s not going easy on us next year, and he knows most of Jooheon’s techniques in flying.”

“You have Seokmin,” Joshua encouraged, poking Mingyu’s arm with his elbow. “And you’re an amazing Chaser.”

The younger boy sighed before smiling at Joshua with fond eyes. Joshua returned the favor and slung his arm around Mingyu’s. “We haven’t talked like this in a while.”

“Yeah,” Mingyu said softly.

And before Joshua knew it, he and Mingyu had arrived to the classroom while talking about S.P.E.W., a club that promoted house-elf awareness and welfare As a Muggle-born, Mingyu was horrified when he found out that wizarding families had house-elves do their bidding. “How could they let cute little elves be slaves?” was what twelve-year old Mingyu had asked three years ago, which led to Joshua and Wonwoo (both Half-bloods), as well as Pure-blood Minghao explaining to Mingyu about the history of house-elves. Seokmin, also a Pure-blood, who advocated strongly for proper house-elf treatment, had then recruited Mingyu for S.P.E.W. Joshua would have joined as well if not for the Frog Choir or his past obsession to get high marks in his O.W.L.s.

“I told Dinkles to tell me if Minghao is being mean to him,” Mingyu said. “As a joke, though, since Minghao’s really nice to Dinky Winky. But I can’t say the same with how nice he is to me.”

“That’s his way of showing affection to you,” Joshua assured, smiling fondly at Mingyu’s pouty face again. “Anyway, let’s go in. Go talk to Seokmin before Jihoon arrives.”

Joshua and Mingyu entered the classroom, and Seokmin lunged himself towards Mingyu like a rabid Cornish Pixie. Joshua shook his head and chuckled before walking towards Jeonghan’s sleeping figure on a desk. Soonyoung, his younger friend from Gryffindor, was seated right next to Jeonghan.

“What brings you here?” Joshua asked, tilting his head. Soonyoung’s cheeks puffed up as he smiled.

“Waiting for Jihoon,” he answered, grinning from ear to ear.

Joshua shrugged in acknowledgement before poking Jeonghan’s head gently. “Wake up, snoozer.”

“I’m awake,” came Jeonghan’s muffled reply, but Joshua wasn’t convinced.

Jeonghan slowly lifted his head from the desk and stretched. Joshua expected him to try and sleep again, but the other boy’s eyes widened instead, his attention caught by high-pitched giggles and a familiar boyish voice. Their eyes darted to the young Slytherin boy near the doorway with a short girl in Hufflepuff robes. The boy was grinning widely, handing over a large notebook to the Hufflepuff girl.

“Chan, what are you doing here?”

The boy’s smile fell, and he shot a glare at their direction. He turned back to the girl and smiled weakly, waving goodbye to her and exiting the room. Both Seokmin and Mingyu gawked at Chan leaving.

“Hey, Suhyun, who’s that boy?” a boy in glasses asked loudly, voice filled with mirth, as he approached the Hufflepuff girl. Before Joshua could eavesdrop even more, Soonyoung cleared his throat.

“You really had to butt in, huh, Jeonghan?” Soonyoung snorted. Jeonghan rolled his eyes and rested his head on the desk again.

"Chan’s not dating anyone until he's thirty. And Chanhyuk probably thinks his sister is too good for my baby, "Jeonghan joked. Joshua had no idea how Jeonghan adopted Chan as his ‘son’, but the young boy obviously knew how to deal with Jeonghan’s ridiculous declarations.

“Mingyu, out. Soonyoung, out,” a voice suddenly called. Jihoon finally arrived, prompting Joshua to check his pocket watch. _6:03_.

Mingyu quickly scurried outside the room, and Joshua caught the boy waving at his direction. He waved back, and Mingyu slowly walked away with a little smile on his face. Soonyoung, however, continued swinging his legs as he didn’t budge from sitting on the desk.

“Aww, that’s so cold of you,” Soonyoung whined. Jihoon’s glare turned sharper.

“Out. I have an announcement,” Jihoon said.

Soonyoung sighed. “Can’t I hear it too?”

Jihoon looked ready to hex him on the spot. “Out.”

The Gryffindor boy pushed himself off the desk and scampered to the doorway, giving Jihoon a salute and a cheeky grin before leaving. Joshua tried to hold back a chuckle, knowing Jihoon wasn’t in the mood for any disruptions.

“I’ll make this brief since we’re all hungry. I’ve talked to Professor Kihyun and he said that the Headmistress wants the Frog Choir to perform a song during the Yule Ball.”

Everyone began buzzing at the mention of the Yule Ball. Seokmin was spinning around in excitement, prompting Jihoon to smack him on his arm.

“Expect Chanhyuk to provide you all with lyrics around next week,” Jihoon continued with a loud voice, successfully shushing everyone in a heartbeat. “Professor Kihyun will fix up the practice schedules. Chanhyuk and I will announce them next time.”

Jihoon’s stare panned the entire room. “Questions?”

After half a minute of silence, a hand shot up in the air. “Yes, Seungkwan?”

Everyone turned to Seungkwan, a Hufflepuff boy known for his sassy remarks as a Quidditch game commentator. “Is that all?”

Jihoon sighed while some of the younger students snickered. “Yes. You can go now if you want.”

The younger members ran off, alerting Seokmin’s Prefect mode. “Hey, don’t rush! Someone might get hurt!”

Joshua waited alongside Jeonghan for the other members to leave, watching Chanhyuk wrap an arm around his sister. He could hear Chanhyuk’s teasing tone, confirmed by the way his sister suddenly whacked him with the gigantic notebook. Jihoon was tackled by Soonyoung when he walked outside the room, and Joshua could hear Soonyoung’s echoing laughter and Jihoon’s disgruntled complaints.

A head slowly emerged from the doorway, and it was none other than Seungcheol. Joshua felt his stomach lurch again.

“You waited?” Jeonghan asked.

Seungcheol shook his head and fully revealed himself in front of the doorway. “Just arrived. I saw Soonyoung waiting.”

They moved through the doorway, and Joshua found himself silent once again. “We have to perform during the Yule Ball, apparently,” Jeonghan said.

Seungcheol blinked. “Ah, really? And I thought I would have you all to myself then,” he chuckled.

Joshua shifted in place. The nap didn’t do him well in relieving his heartache. “You guys can go ahead,” he said, pulling a faux smile. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Jeonghan raised a brow. “We can always wait for you.”

He laughed, hoping it didn’t sound fake. “No, it’s fine. My stomach hurts.”

The concerned look on Seungcheol’s face made Joshua’s heart squeeze even more. _Stop. Stop. Stop._ “You okay? If it really hurts, you can always go to the Hospital Wing.”

Joshua pursed his lips. “Maybe I will,” he answered. It was a better excuse if anyone noticed his absence from dinner.

He moved away from them first, his pace getting faster the farther he was from his friends. He needed to clear his mind.

He needed to walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the reads, kudos, and comments! <3 you guys are the best ;w; will update this as soon as possible - the magic is only beginning!
> 
> and thank you to ramenrulz8p for helping me out with this chapter!!! :'D


	3. Chapter 3

On Joshua’s first school day in Hogwarts, Jeonghan had approached him during lunch time and said he thought Joshua would have been sorted to Hufflepuff. And while Joshua was more than content with his own house, he did envy the Hufflepuffs sometimes because of their common room’s proximity to the kitchen.

Much to his annoyance, he caved into his hunger after two hours of walking around Hogwarts and an hour of staring blankly at the dormitory ceiling. He took off from the common room in his Ravenclaw jumper and blue pajama bottoms, avoiding the eyes of Prefects passing by him while he trudged down the steps of the Grand Staircase. Jihoon was thankfully not patrolling the stairs, because the boy was strict enough to make a fearsome reputation for himself amongst seventh years.

Joshua quickened his pace after finding the fruit bowl portrait, noting to himself he should memorize the route to the kitchen after taking a few wrong turns. He had known about the kitchen’s not-so-secret entrance for such a long time, but this was his first time to take advantage of the knowledge since he usually had snacks stocked in a secret box under his bed.

He paused on his tracks as he squinted at the portrait. “Wait… how do we get in again?” he said aloud. “Ugh… I should have paid more attention to Mingyu.”

Joshua took a few steps backward cautiously as the portrait frame suddenly shook. It pushes forward completely and swung wide open, revealing a side-facing Mingyu hugging a large bowl of fried potato wedges mixed with bacon strips with one arm and carrying a plate with five slices of Treacle tarts with his other hand.

“Henkoow!” came Mingyu’s muffled voice as he waved back at the house-elves with his head. Joshua immediately slapped a hand over his mouth but failed to stifle back a snicker, and Mingyu spun around quickly with wide eyes.

Joshua broke into laughter anyway after seeing a long strip of bacon hanging on Mingyu’s lower lip. The younger boy slowly walked away from the kitchen entrance, and the fruit bowl portrait swung itself back to the wall. Joshua wiped away the tears that formed at the corner of his eyes, but soft laughter still escaped his lips at the sight of Mingyu staring at him like a cornered deer.

“Goshwa?” Mingyu said, petrified in place. Joshua grinned and walked closer to him, lifting strip of bacon up.

“Don’t talk when your mouth is full,” he sniggered. If Mingyu’s cheeks weren’t puffed up from the amount of food in his mouth, Joshua was pretty sure the boy would pout at him again.

He tilted his head to the side, concerned with Mingyu still staring at him. “Don’t leave me hanging, Mingyu,” Joshua laughed. “Get it? Like your bacon?”

Much to Joshua’s amusement, Mingyu rolled his eyes as he opened his mouth, letting Joshua push the bacon in.

“Not enough potatoes during dinner?” he grinned.

Mingyu shook his head. Joshua sent him a look so the boy would answer after swallowing his food. “No potatoes at all! I actually wanted a sandwich but Socks made a lot of potato wedges tonight.”

Joshua raised a brow. “Socks?”

“I’ll introduce you to him one day!” Mingyu said, bouncing gleefully. The potato wedges swayed around in the bowl. “He makes snacks, and I trade him socks or packets of instant coffee for them.”

The wide smile on Mingyu’s face reminded Joshua of how endearing he found the boy. Mingyu loved house-elves so much that he learned how to knit just to make bright-colored socks or little scarves for them, and the creatures seemed happy to shower him with what he loved the most – food.

“Oh, you weren’t in the Great Hall during dinner,” Mingyu continued, brows furrowing together. Joshua held his breath for a moment, surprised Mingyu had taken notice. He waited for Mingyu to comment about food, but the boy leered at him, clearly expecting an answer.

“I went back to Ravenclaw Tower after the Frog Choir meeting to drop off the book I borrowed from the library and ended up falling asleep,” he explained. A voice at the back of his mind nagged him for lying to Mingyu for the second time today.

“Ahh, I see…” Mingyu said, eyes slightly narrowed. Joshua wouldn’t blame Mingyu if he was doubtful. A loud grumble broke the silence before Mingyu could even continue what he was saying. Joshua sheepishly placed a hand on his stomach, shaking his head.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” Joshua huffed.

Mingyu’s trademark grin resurfaced. “Do you want some of my potatoes? W-wait, no, you need a bigger meal. Maybe there’s some leftover chicken or roast beef, I can grab some for you,” he offered.

Joshua shook his head. “The potatoes are fine,” he smiled. It was too late in the evening for a heavy meal, and he didn’t want Mingyu to run back and forth again just for him.

“Also Treacle tarts!” Mingyu chimed.

“Are you sure you want to share these with me? They might not be enough for you if I ate some of them,” Joshua teased. The younger boy pouted adorably again.

“I know I eat a lot but I don’t mind sharing, you know,” Mingyu sighed, passing the plate of tarts to Joshua.

Joshua laughed softly. “I know, I know. So, where do we eat?”

Mingyu’s eyes widened. “Ahh, well, do you want to eat at the corner of the corridor? I’ve hung out there lots of times and I never got caught by Prefects.”

Joshua grabbed a potato wedge and grinned at the younger boy. “Sure.”

* * *

For some unknown reason, Dorito decided to wait for Joshua outside his Transfiguration classroom. Joshua raised a brow when he saw his cat rubbing his head with his paw in the middle of the corridor, unfazed at the number of students that stared at him with either adoring or annoyed expressions.

“You’re blocking the way,” Joshua sighed, squatting to pick up his cat. Dorito meowed at Joshua’s face before licking the back of his paw. Times like these made Joshua wish he understood cat speak.

Dorito curled up against Joshua’s chest like a baby, making the boy smirk in amusement as he walked to the Transfiguration Courtyard after spotting Jeonghan and Seungcheol at a nearby stone bench. The latter was practicing nonverbal magic, Joshua assumed, as Seungcheol was waving his wand at a tower of books beside a seated Jeonghan reading a copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. Slowly and surely, the books drifted off the stack topmost-first, floating and encircling around Jeonghan, tracing the circular path Seungcheol repeatedly drew with his twirling wrist movement.

“Why are you making books fly around me?” Jeonghan complained, sneering at the books hovering around him at a faster speed. Seungcheol laughed and firmly waved his wand, pointing to the empty bench spot, and the books cascaded back neatly on top of each other.

“You weren’t replying to me anymore,” Seungcheol replied.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes and whacked him with the book in his hands. “Well, sorry for being too busy reading about potential creatures for the First Task so you won’t get impaled,” the long-haired boy retorted, slamming the book shut. “You better read this book later. I wouldn’t want to watch you run around like an idiot if the tournament dished out a dragon.”

“I highly doubt they would,” Joshua interposed, seating at the bench next to the one Jeonghan was seated in. “The Ministry strictly prohibited the use of classification XXXXX creatures in the tournament.”

“I was just giving an example,” Jeonghan said, glancing at Seungcheol. “I still think you need to read the book. It’s not enough that you’re practicing self-defense charms with our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”

“I know. I promise I’ll read it later,” Seungcheol said, tucking his wand in his robe sleeve. He glanced at Joshua and grinned. “Hey, it’s Dorito!”

“It’s the cat,” came Jeonghan’s deadpan remark. “I thought he liked staying indoors.”

“You still don’t get along with him?” Seungcheol asked humoredly as he patted Dorito’s back.

Joshua shrugged. “He doesn’t really hate you, Jeonghan. You just smelled like dung when he first encountered you.” The day Jeonghan met Dorito had a rainy Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin, back when Jeonghan was still a member of Slytherin’s team. A rogue bludger led to half of the players retreating to the Quidditch Pitch, and Jeonghan had accidentally tripped onto the muddy ground.

Jeonghan frowned even more. “Seungcheol smelled like dung that day too but your cat warmed up to him.”

Seungcheol smirked. “It’s because I smiled at Dorito when Joshua showed him to us.”

“And I think it’s just ‘rito teasing you,” Joshua added, grinning at Jeonghan.

“Then tell him to cut it out,” Jeonghan huffed, glancing at Dorito. Joshua could feel Dorito stir in his arms – the cat understood.

Joshua continued stroking his cat’s fur as Jeonghan began quizzing Seungcheol on high-classification magical creatures. His next class is still hours away, and he didn’t want to leave for lunch yet either. It didn’t seem like the time as well, since the corridor was getting filled with more students.

In the end, Joshua couldn’t focus on Jeonghan’s words because the chattering in the courtyard was getting louder. He caved in and tore his eyes away from his friends, spotting younger students talking to each other and holding folded banners and showing off golden buttons attached to their robes. He squinted – they were wearing buttons with Seungcheol’s face on it.

“Support our champion! Support Seungcheol!” boomed loudly from the corridor, repeating again and again in an upbeat mantra. If Joshua wasn’t mistaken, it was Seokmin’s voice.

After a few seconds, Seokmin emerged from the corridor and entered the Transfiguration Courtyard. Along with him were Seungkwan, Soonyoung, Minghao, and Mingyu, all chanting together. Seungkwan and Soonyoung were handing out buttons to passing Hogwarts students, grinning and telling them to support Seungcheol. Minghao’s sleeves were covered with different colored banners, while Mingyu had his arms outstretched as he held a golden banner with Seungcheol’s face under the words “HOGWARTS CHAMPION, MY CHAMPION!”

Seungcheol’s face turned tomato red as Jeonghan began laughing loudly and clapping his hands together, catching the attention of the squad.

“You didn't tell me you had a cheering squad,” Joshua said to Seungcheol. The other boy winced and hid his face in his palms, amusing Joshua even more.

“And here we have our champion, ladies and gentlemen!” Soonyoung exclaimed, running towards Seungcheol. The younger Gryffindor grabbed Seungcheol’s wrist and raised it, and the students around them applauded and whistled.

“Show your support by wearing these buttons!” Seungkwan added, rattling the box of buttons in his hand. Younger students began crowding around the Hufflepuff, excited to get their hands on supporting merchandise. Seungkwan sent a distressed look at Soonyoung, and the boy quickly ran to his aid by throwing buttons towards the far end of the courtyard. With the ruckus around the button bearers, Seokmin approached Seungcheol for the time being while Minghao and Mingyu watched Seungkwan struggle.

Seokmin grinned at Seungcheol. “What do you think?”

“He’s flattered,” Jeonghan answered, grinning from ear to ear. Joshua was pretty sure Jeonghan had a say in this. “Hey, make sure the three of us get buttons too.”

While Seungcheol began accusing Jeonghan of being the source of his pictures on the buttons and banners, Joshua watched Seungkwan and Soonyoung wrestle through a large crowd of students, all rowdy with having a new badge on their uniforms.

“Merlin,” Joshua could hear Minghao grumble. “Soonyoung could have just passed buttons around.”

His eyes fell on the younger duo as Mingyu smiled at Minghao. “At least he tried helping Seungkwan,” Mingyu said optimistically as he swayed around with the golden banner in hand.

“Tried and failed,” Minghao replied. “And you know you could just make the banner levitate, right?”

Joshua snickered when Mingyu swayed side to side even more. “You're too spoiled on magic, Minghao! True friendship is magic!"

Minghao’s plain expression dropped into a judgmental frown. “Don't quote that Muggle pony show at me, tall man,” Minghao groaned. Joshua burst into laughter from Mingyu’s pout and Minghao’s unimpressed stare, catching their attention.

“See? Joshua finds your quote ridiculous too,” Minghao continued, pointing at his direction. Mingyu shot an even poutier look at Joshua, but it quickly changed into a smile.

“Ooh, Dorito!” Mingyu cheered. The tall boy waddled towards Joshua, slinging the banner on his shoulder, and knelt down beside him, placing a hand on Dorito’s furry back. Dorito peeked from Joshua’s arms and meowed at Mingyu in acknowledgement.

Joshua grinned at Mingyu bopping noses with Dorito, amazed at the level of affection his own cat had for another person. The only other person Dorito bopped noses with was Joshua’s mother. “He’s out today, huh?” Mingyu laughed.

“Surprisingly,” Joshua answered, smirking at his cat. Mingyu stroked Dorito’s head gently, and his cat purred very softly.

“Maybe he misses seeing you in the morning,” Mingyu remarked, smiling up at Joshua. It was a long time since Joshua didn’t have to crane his neck to face Mingyu. Taking advantage of the situation, Joshua ruffled Mingyu’s hair gently.

“You’d make a good pet,” Minghao chirped, walking closer to them. Mingyu’s hand left Dorito’s head and swatted Minghao’s legs.

“I take that back. You’d probably scratch your owners,” Minghao continued.

“If it were you,” Mingyu retorted, standing up and dusting his uniform.

The two boys began exchanging banters, making Joshua realize it was entertaining to see them interact. Minghao was one of Mingyu’s first friends in Hogwarts, as well as the closest one to him. Mingyu had spent one of his summers at Minghao’s, as Joshua could recall.

Suddenly, Seungcheol yelped beside them. Out of habit, Joshua drew out his wand, but was surprised to see Seungcheol hovering above Soonyoung and Seokmin, who were both pointing wands at him. Joshua hadn’t even noticed that Seungkwan and Soonyoung made it out of the crowd earlier. Jeonghan was clutching his robes while laughing too loudly. “Move him a little more to the left!” Jeonghan exclaimed, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

“Support our Hogwarts champion!” called Seokmin and Soonyoung, and the surrounding students clapped wildly once again. Joshua glanced at Jeonghan, who was enjoying the sight of Seungcheol feeling flustered, and gave a soft smile. Despite Jeonghan’s sass towards Seungcheol at times, he really poured his heart out to show Seungcheol he was adored by everyone.

He glanced at Seungcheol’s floating figure, who was watching in awe as the people below him were cheering for him. Jeonghan knew this was what Seungcheol needed for a morale boost.

Dorito suddenly stirred in Joshua’s lap, and Joshua watched his cat as he stretched into different poses before jumping away. The cat gracefully walked up to Mingyu, who was cheering for Seungcheol as well. Dorito patted his paws against Mingyu’s pants, and Mingyu quickly took notice. Joshua watched a large smile grace Mingyu’s lips as he knelt down and patted Dorito’s head. He could see Mingyu’s lips moving, but he couldn’t hear what the boy was saying to his cat from all the cheering around them.

Soon enough, Soonyoung and Seokmin had returned Seungcheol to the ground, and the band of cheerers began walking back to the corridor. Joshua’s eyes remained fixed onto Mingyu, who took Minghao’s advice and levitated the golden banner just so he could carry Dorito and rub his cat’s head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who read, kudos'd, and bookmarked! and shoutouts to stlobeli and peachjelly for the comments <3 i apologize for the late update, school snagged my time for the past weeks. i'll update sooner, promise!
> 
> thank you again to ramenrulz8p for helping me in this chapter! i wouldn't be able to write sassy minghao without you :3c
> 
> and since i love monsta x (and they're in this fic XD): please support monsta x's comeback on the 21st! they're amazingly talented and adorable/handsome funny boys :') they're truly worth a listen!!!


	4. Chapter 4

If anyone had to be awarded for beckoning the Hogwarts school spirit and unity in preparation for the tournament, it had to be Seokmin. While Jeonghan was the brain behind Seungcheol’s pictures for the buttons and banners, it was Seokmin who suggested and volunteered to have such merchandise mass produced for Hogwarts students. Joshua had found out earlier after conversing with Vernon, his fourth year Ravenclaw friend who was also part of Seokmin’s “Support Seungcheol” squad.

And while Joshua was impressed with the Hufflepuff boy’s efforts, he couldn’t find himself to wear the button or look at the banner Seokmin worked hard to conceptualize. He made sure that the buttons were eye-catching gold with Seungcheol’s head right at the middle, expression changing after every five minutes. He also made different colored banners corresponding to different Hogwarts houses, apart from a golden one for anyone else who wanted to support Seungcheol but isn’t from Hogwarts, hence why Vernon had handed to Joshua a blue banner before Joshua left for the common room.

But the banner was now neatly folded and placed underneath Joshua’s bed, right next to Dorito’s sleeping figure, with Seungcheol’s button pinned on top of it. For him, they were reminders that Seungcheol only had three nights left to prepare for the First Task. Three nights, including this one.

_Three nights._

_Three nights._

_Three nights!_

Joshua scratched his head in annoyance. He was getting restless. Three nights and they didn’t know what Seungcheol was going to face. He didn’t know what Seungcheol was going to face, and it’s eating him up inside.

He needed to walk again. Being alone in the common room was just as suffocating as having no one to talk to on his feelings. And while Dorito was an option, his cat seemed to be out of commission whenever Joshua needed him the most.

No one was in the seventh year’s room except for him, and Joshua took the opportunity to turn into a cat immediately before leaving. Wonwoo was nowhere in sight in the common room tonight to open the door for him. With Changkyun absent as well, Joshua could only guess Wonwoo was out with him either in the library or at the Quidditch Pitch. He wasn’t sure if the other Ravenclaws would open the door for him, seeing as they were all engrossed in different activities (which were mostly reading and debating amongst each other).

“’rito?”

Before Joshua could turn around, he was lifted up by someone with a familiar voice. He meowed in relief when he was face to face with Vernon, the younger boy tilting his head. “Huh. You’re nice to me today. You going somewhere?”

Joshua could only flail his hands and give another mewl. Vernon’s lips broke into a knowing smile.

“Called it,” he chuckled. “Warm up to me one day, will you? I’m not just your resident doorman.”

_If I recall correctly, it’s Wonwoo who always opens the door for Dorito._

Granted, he wasn’t able to see any interactions between Dorito and Vernon since the younger boy often spent his time either with his fellow SPEW members or with Seungkwan, Minghao, Seokmin, Chan, or Joshua himself sometimes. Vernon was one of the Ravenclaws Joshua barely saw in the common room unless exams were around the corner. Now he was curious on why Dorito wasn’t warm towards Vernon and how exactly Dorito reacted towards the boy.

He ought to catch up with his own cat, he realized.

Vernon did as he promised, opening the common room door and gently placing Joshua down. “Take care now, ‘rito,” Vernon cooed, patting Joshua on the head lightly before closing the door. With a swish of his tail, Joshua began navigating down the steps and skirting between walking students.

He had no destination in mind, just like the other night. He just wanted to get his mind off Seungcheol again. Off the fact that he was still not mentally prepared for the First Task. He wanted happy thoughts. Optimistic thoughts. Sunny thoughts.

_Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts, Josh._

And then he remembered happiness. How he laughed nights before. Why he laughed nights before.

He wondered.

Was Mingyu hanging around by the kitchens again?

He hopped down to a lower staircase, feeling elated that he finally had something to occupy his mind. He really wondered if Mingyu does spend all his nights near the kitchen. Mingyu’s love for food and house-elves were enough for Joshua to suspect that he did hang out there most of the time, but every night? Time to quench his curiosity, he thought.

Joshua was only a few corridors away from the kitchen when he heard familiar voices by the stretch of food portraits lining the walls. He tiptoed and leered at the two figures from afar and paused.

One of them was Wonwoo, but the person he was with was definitely not Changkyun.

“I’m glad we got to talk again, Wonwoo,” the other person said. Joshua recognized him as Jun, his sixth year Slytherin friend known for his handsome looks and metamorphmagus abilities. He couldn’t decipher their expressions with his distance from them, but he could distinguish fondness in Jun’s voice. Joshua knew Jun well enough to know the difference in his tone.

Wonwoo nodded and silently walked away to head for Ravenclaw Tower. Joshua decided he should move on as well. There was unease in the pit of his stomach, but he shouldn’t be too concerned. Maybe he just wasn’t used to seeing Wonwoo without Changkyun, since they had been attached by the hip since he had first seen them together last year.

Joshua took a few more turns, pleased he finally remembered how to reach the kitchens. He only realized now how the corridor was more straightforward than he thought.

He stopped on his paws and snickered mentally. Mingyu was crouching behind a stack of barrels at a certain distance away from the kitchen like a Muggle child playing hide-and-seek. He sauntered his way to the boy, hoping Mingyu wouldn’t shoo him away. The boy seemed to be intently focused on spying, but Joshua couldn’t see anything or anyone else around.

Joshua patted Mingyu lightly on his leg, moving backwards when the boy jolted in surprise. “Oh, it’s only you, Dorito. You scared me,” Mingyu whispered, quickly grabbing Joshua to his side. “If you’re hungry, we have to wait a bit because other people are in the kitchen.”

Now who could possibly be in the kitchen and make Mingyu hide? It might be a prefect or a professor, since Mingyu wasn’t shameless enough to reveal his cavorting in the area. If the person Mingyu was hiding from was a prefect, Joshua was sure it definitely wasn’t Seokmin. While that boy upheld his prefect duties, he would surely be Mingyu’s cohort when it came to kitchen-related activities.

He hopped on the barrel and sat down, swishing his tail before Mingyu had a chance to hold it. “You’ll blow my cover,” Mingyu whines in a hushed tone. “Come down here.”

_You can always hide without me, Mingyu._

“Shh, don’t meow too loudly,” Mingyu adds, pouting.

He heard a loud creaking sound before the fruit bowl portrait swung open. No prefects or professors came out. To his surprise, it was Chan who emerged first and onto the corridor, followed by Chanhyuk’s Hufflepuff sister from the Frog Choir.

“You’re lucky I know how to get in the kitchens, Chan,” the girl exclaimed, giggling.

“It isn’t my fault I missed dessert,” Chan replied. Joshua could make out a little frown on the younger boy’s face. “I was dragged away by my friends to play Exploding Snap!”

The girl sent him a look of disbelief. “You chose Exploding Snap over pudding?”

“Five Galleons on the line, Suhyun!” Chan reasoned. “And you should know I rule the Exploding Snap scene among all the third years in Slytherin.”

“And did that get you Five Galleons?” Suhyun challenged, crossing her arms and smirking.

Chan mirrored her expression and proudly pulled out five golden coins from his pocket. “Yep. Five extra Galleons for us this weekend.”

While Joshua continued watching the younger students’ exchange, behind the barrels sat Mingyu, grinning widely while listening.

“For us?” came Suhyun’s question.

Joshua almost meowed out loud when Chan took Suhyun’s hand. “Yeah! I promised to get you sweets from Honeydukes, right? I’m keeping my promise.”

Both their faces turned pinkish, Suhyun’s cheeks especially. Joshua wanted to laugh – how loud would Jeonghan’s screeching be if he saw this?

“A-Ah, a-anyway,” Chan stammered, rubbing the back of his head as he let go of Suhyun’s hand. “You said you’re going to meet your brother, right?”

“Yeah. By the Entrance Hall,” Suhyun replied, staring at the floor.

“You need me to walk you there?” Chan offered. Suhyun looked up at him again and smiled.

“I would like that, but you know my brother. He’d tease me so badly you might consider treating someone else with Honeydukes instead,” she answered. “But thanks. See you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” Chan repeated with a bashful smile. He waited for Suhyun to leave the corridor before he headed to the Slytherin dungeons, humming softly to himself.

Mingyu finally stood up when Chan was out of sight, and Joshua meowed at him in amusement. So Mingyu knew more secrets than he let on, and maybe this was one reason why Mingyu hung out near the kitchens. The boy picked Joshua up and bounced him like a baby in his arms. Joshua looked up and saw Mingyu’s teeth out, his smile bright and hopeful.

Joshua knew he made the right decision tonight. Mingyu’s happiness was always pure and positive, and Joshua loved this about him. He loved the way Mingyu’s presence calmed him and how his smile encouraged him. Mingyu’s optimism bounced onto him too, soothing his emotions and sweeping his worries away.

“You better keep that a secret, okay, Dorito?” Mingyu said, placing his pointer finger on Joshua’s cat lips. It was amusing how Mingyu treated and talked to Dorito. To _him._

“Minghao told me about it last year by accident,” Mingyu began, snorting to himself as he sat down again beside the barrels, scratching Joshua’s cat head. “Okay, maybe he didn’t tell me by accident. I annoyed him to get info. But hey, it was his fault for asking me about Suhyun. I pick up things fast, you know? I’m a people person.”

_Yes, you are._

“They’re so cute together,” Mingyu gushed, shaking like a giddy schoolgirl for a few seconds. “I got so annoyed when Jeonghan ruined their moment a few days ago, you know. I don’t care how close he and Chan are. I’m sure he knows Chan likes her, so he should have let them talk.”

_…right._

He had to agree, remembering how Chan stormed off after saying goodbye to Suhyun before the Frog Choir meeting. To Jeonghan it was probably just simple teasing, but the boy’s annoyance shouldn’t be taken lightly. Jeonghan probably hadn’t talked to Chan about it either (or maybe Chan avoided him after that day) because he hadn’t mentioned anything to Joshua about it.

“I’m kinda jealous of Chan for being brave about his feelings,” Mingyu continued, still smiling.

But something was off. Joshua could see it in the quirk of his smile and the furrow of his brows.

He felt his heart stir.

Mingyu… liked someone?

_Mingyu, please explain._

“But I shouldn’t think too much about it now, right?” he laughed, bopping Joshua’s nose. He lifted Joshua up to eye level and sighed. “I’ll be braver next time, Dorito. Just you wait.”

_Who do you like, Mingyu?_

Joshua tried to calm himself with the sight of Mingyu’s smile turning hopeful again, but so many questions began flooding his mind again that he drowns out Mingyu’s new stories about his day with Seokmin and Minghao.

_Why didn’t you tell me?_

* * *

“Yo, Josh, you okay?”

Joshua’s focus shifted from his Arithmancy book to Vernon standing in front of him. The younger boy dropped three thick books on the table, causing the librarian to hiss out loud that books should be handled with care. Vernon rolled his eyes and sat across Joshua, lacing his fingers together in a business-like fashion.

“Why?” Joshua replied, voice soft. The librarian was patrolling around again because of Vernon’s antics, but Vernon looked unfazed.

“I was sitting at the other table and I noticed you’ve been staring at the same page for half an hour. And when I walked behind you – yeah, I did that and you didn’t notice, which justifies my worrying – you were looking at the table of contents.”

Joshua’s face turned pink as he shut the book. He didn’t know he was that out of it. “Bad night.”

“I figured,” Vernon said. “’rito didn’t hang around either last night. Did you two fight or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” he answered. “I just couldn’t sleep.”

Vernon bit his lower lip and stared at the table. “Because of Seungcheol and the tournament?”

Oh, if only that were the only reason. He was able to stop piling up worried thoughts of Seungcheol last night, but his mind decided to dwell on reasons why Mingyu didn’t tell him about liking someone and why Dorito was his confidant instead. He wasn’t bitter towards Mingyu, definitely not. It was Mingyu’s choice on who he would tell his secrets to. But the fact that his own cat knew who Mingyu liked and he didn’t oddly consumed him. A part of him felt like he’s competing with Dorito for Mingyu’s trust now, but another part felt that he was just turning into a very curious cat with the number of times he had been switching to his Animagus form during the past few days.

“Yeah. Because of that,” Joshua fibbed, sighing. There was no way he’d be able to explain his true dilemma to anyone anyway. “All we know is that there will be a magical creature. We don’t know what that creature is and if Seungcheol will be prepared enough to face it.”

“Believe in him a little more,” Vernon said, giving him a small smile. “I know it’s not much for advice, but c’mon. Seungcheol was chosen for a reason, right?”

“I wish I had your youthful optimism, Vern,” Joshua groaned.

Vernon smirked. “Yeah, you’re getting pretty old,” he teased. “Ready to hit the town after graduating. Can you leave ‘rito with me next year?”

“Fat chance,” Joshua retorted, sticking his tongue out. “Does Dorito even like you?”

Vernon’s smirk fell into a dejected look. “…well, not a lot. But he didn’t try to maul me last night.”

“What did you do to my cat to make him hate you the way he hates Jeonghan?” Joshua asked, breaking into a smile.

“I kinda took his favorite ball of yarn so Mingyu could knit sweaters for the house-elves,” he answered sheepishly, making Joshua chuckle. He mentally noted to get his cat another ball of yarn, wishing that he could find one in Hogsmeade this weekend. “In my defense, Jihoon was the one who said it’s okay to take it.”

“My cat doesn’t like sharing, so don’t take whatever he touches,” Joshua reminded. “Although he’ll probably warm up to you one day. He wouldn’t to Jeonghan because he addresses Dorito as ‘that cat’ all the time.”

“Dorito doesn’t like sharing. Got it,” Vernon chuckled.

Joshua wondered if Dorito didn’t like sharing Mingyu with him.

* * *

_8:52_

They were twenty two minutes late.

Joshua was pretty sure they agreed to meet in the sixth floor corridor by Glanmore Peakes' bust, just like they always did. Maybe Seungcheol’s training with their DADA professor had extended. Maybe Jeonghan had fallen asleep.

But no, he was sure they would show up. Seungcheol had said so earlier during lunch when they ate together.

They wouldn’t forget.

He let ten more minutes pass until he opted to check the classrooms, feeling frustrated when both rooms were empty. He walked a little further, passing the Writing Supplies Room and the Storeroom. They weren’t in the Room of Rewards either. He wanted to return to Ravenclaw Tower, and he wished that’s what he did instead. But he continued searching until he heard voices when he reached the entrance of the Trophy Room.

He pressed himself against the Trophy Room door and peeked, finding Seungcheol and Jeonghan in front of the trophy case of all the Triwizard Cups previous Hogwarts champions had won, fingers intertwined with each other’s. Jeonghan’s head rested on Seungcheol’s shoulder, while the latter was staring at the empty part of the shelf.

Joshua couldn’t make himself go inside.

“Excited to see your name and your trophy there?” he heard Jeonghan say.

“If I win it,” came Seungcheol’s reply. “If I make it.”

Joshua’s grip on the door tightened. Seungcheol and Jeonghan didn’t hear anything.

“You will make it. And if you’re in danger, I will make sure you’ll get help when you need it,” Jeonghan replied. He lifted his head and took Seungcheol’s other hand, making them face each other like grooms giving their wedding vows. “Just don’t remove the bracelet.”

“I won’t,” Seungcheol replied. “You gave it to me.”

“More importantly, it tells me if you’re in danger,” Jeonghan snorted.

Their laughter echoed throughout the wide room like a gentle song before they fell silent, staring at each other’s eyes tenderly and fixedly, And slowly, they closed the gap between them and pressed their lips against each other’s.

Joshua quickly tore his eyes away from them and fled as fast as he could.

He didn’t know where to go.

He didn’t care where he’d go.

All he knew was that he had to leave before he ended up crying again. The pain he felt a year ago was resurfacing.

His heartbreak from knowing Seungcheol would never love him was the least of his problems. His heartbreak from knowing the boy he liked adored his best friend was nothing to him. Joshua knew from the very start, ever since he realized his feelings for Seungcheol four years ago, that Seungcheol loved Jeonghan and Jeonghan loved Seungcheol, and he had long accepted his fate.

But the pain of feeling forgotten was back.

Two years ago, Seungcheol and Jeonghan had gotten together. They had only told Joshua a year later, and it took him weeks to cope with the fact his best friends hid their relationship from him. It was worse finding out they both told other people before him – Seungcheol to Soonyoung and Jihoon, Jeonghan to Chan. It was a blow to Joshua’s trust. He still couldn’t understand it until now, and he thought he had buried his anxiety over the ordeal.

But here he was yet again, running away from them, from the idea of them moving forward together and leaving him behind. Running away instead of telling them he felt betrayed.

* * *

_10:17_

It was only now Joshua realized he ran all the way to the Astronomy Tower.

He slowly knelt down, feeling his legs shake and his knees wobble, before completely resting on his back. He stretched his legs out and exhaled. His leg muscles were throbbing and his body felt like a furnace. He inhaled longer, exhaled faster, eyes fixated on the stars until his breathing steadied.

The stars were beautiful tonight. Abundant in number as well. But Joshua’s eyes couldn’t stay focused enough to trace out constellations with his mind or with his wand.

His eyes fluttered shut. He could take five minutes of rest before moving again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was a doozy to write orz
> 
> thank you to everyone who read, kudos'd, and bookmarked! and shoutouts to peachjelly, meclanitea, and fry for the comments <3 you guys are so awesome :')
> 
> thank you once again to ramenrulz8p for helping me in this chapter!
> 
> the fun starts in the next chapter w00t w00t


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> longer chapter to make up for my long af absence
> 
> strap in for a new friendship :')

Finally conscious, Joshua knew he didn’t snooze for five minutes only.

He blinked his eyes open, thankful to see the same stars hovering above him. His hand took out his pocketwatch, and he gasped when it read 1:47. There was no way he would get back to Ravenclaw Tower without getting caught by the caretaker or his mangy cat (whom Dorito hated, thank Merlin). But even if there was a chance to get back to the tower without getting caught, Joshua still didn’t want to risk it. And while he could always turn to his Animagus form, he feels too drained to do so, and walking back as a cat would take even longer. He could just walk back when the sun would rise later.

Joshua slowly sat up, supporting his back. His legs felt stiff, probably from his impromptu evening run, but Joshua wanted to stand up again for a change. He walked towards the edge of the tower, pulled by the half-moon glowing brightly above the Quidditch Pitch. He inhaled deeply and took in the beauty of the Hogwarts grounds underneath the moonlight. The trees in the Forbidden Forest swayed to the wind, stretching to the vast outskirts and into the night's darkness, housing the mysterious and unknown. The Black Lake reflected the twinkling stars of the night and the thin wisps of silver clouds passing by the moon. Parked on top of it was the Durmstrang Ship, which Joshua could finally observe in awe. It reminded him of grand pirate ships from Muggle stories and movies. He tried searching for the Beauxbatons' gigantic carriage and gave up in minutes, sure to himself that they must have hidden it with a spell for protection. At least he was able to see it during its descent onto the Hogwarts grounds.

A loud clank echoed from behind, prompting Joshua to spin around and take out his wand. Realizing he couldn't just petrify whoever would come through the door, he prayed to Merlin that it wasn't a professor or the damn caretaker. The last thing he wanted after going through an emotional rollercoaster ride was having all of Ravenclaw after his head for costing them house points.

The door swung open gently, revealing a dark-haired student in pajamas underneath Ravenclaw robes.

"Lumos," called the student as he spotted Joshua immediately, wand in hand with its tip blinding bright. Joshua pointed his wand as well and thought of the same spell, casting light to reveal himself. His eyes widened - it was Changkyun.

"O-oh," Changkyun gasped, quickly lowering his wand. "Sorry."

Joshua tucked his wand back in his robes' sleeves, eyes still fixed on the other boy. Even without checking his pocketwatch, he was sure this wasn’t an hour he could expect wandering students.

“I’ll just go,” the boy murmured with a bowed head.

“N-no, it’s fine. It’s… I wouldn’t mind company,” Joshua quickly said before Changkyun could hurry back inside the tower. Changkyun sheepishly nodded and gently closed the door.

Joshua averted his gaze back to the moon, but he could hear Changkyun’s light footsteps and rustling robes. Changkyun was here to clear his mind, Joshua knew by instinct, and he wished he knew the right words to say to Changkyun if the boy couldn’t find comfort anymore because of his presence.

Grunts echoed from behind, and Joshua spun around to see Changkyun pushing himself up on the tower’s stony edge and sitting on it. He remained against the tower parapet, palms resting on cold stone. He could push himself up and do the same, but Joshua didn’t want to fall off by accident considering the amount of sleep he had gotten.

“B-be careful, okay?” Joshua said in concern, biting his lip afterwards. That was supposed to be just a thought – he wasn’t close enough with Changkyun to say something so casually.

But Changkyun nodded back and gave a small smile. “I will,” he answered. His smile then dropped, in place a curious look. “Um. Uh, may I ask how you got here, though?”

Joshua’s jaw dropped. He hadn’t thought about that. “It was open. Was it… was it not supposed to be?” he squeaked.

Changkyun made a noise, something like a click of the tongue. “Yeah. I thought it was locked until I heard footsteps.”

 _That would be me_ , Joshua thought in embarrassment. Now he was curious if Changkyun wouldn’t have barged into the tower space if he had been quieter.

The atmosphere shifted again into unease. Neither of them knew what to say. Changkyun was the serious type, from what Joshua had seen. There were only rare occasions he had actually seen the boy smile. Nowadays, Joshua would only catch glimpses of him smiling with Wonwoo in the picture, but the both of them usually wore poker faces and kept to themselves. If memory served him right, younger Changkyun smiled and laughed more because of his set of friends, though all of them had already graduated. Joshua only knew he was close with Jooheon because of Mingyu’s stories about how they both practiced Quidditch together at times. He could also remember Changkyun spending an awful lot of time with Hyungwon, a Ravenclaw alumni who had just graduated last year.

Joshua slowly slipped down and sat on the tower floor, thinking he should try falling asleep again. His eyes almost fluttered shut until a bright light captured his attention. Miles above the sky, the radiant sphere streaked across the sky and faded in a flash, and Joshua gaped at the trail it had left.

“Merlin, did you see that?” Joshua gasped, gaze still fixed on the night sky.

“Y-yeah…” he heard Changkyun whisper. Joshua averted his stare to the younger boy, and the boy was just as in awe with the sight as he was.

“Could that be an alien… huh…”

Changkyun quickly looked at him, a twinge of interest in his expression. And if Joshua wasn’t mistaken, amusement as well. “Aliens? Really?”

Joshua shrugged. “Doesn’t look like a shooting star, so I thought… aliens. Do you think they exist?”

He wouldn’t normally ask anyone about it, since Purebloods and even most Half-bloods barely entertained or had no concept of extraterrestrial beings. Changkyun’s reaction gave Joshua hope that maybe he had someone to talk to about aliens now, especially with their shared moment of seeing a celestial anomaly.

“If magic exists, I’m sure aliens can too,” Changkyun replied softly. Joshua found himself smiling. “Do you think so?”

“I can’t say. If I could ask Merlin for anything, I would ask him to affirm if they are real or fictional,” he answered, chuckling to himself. He noticed Changkyun still staring at him with an unreadable expression. It must make him unusual, being a wizard who had seen and experienced hundreds of magical phenomena still considering the existence of Muggles’ scientific fantasies. “Um, I have watched Muggle movies on aliens and read some news about speculations.”

 “I’ve seen a fair few myself,” Changkyun said. “My dad and I talk about it too at times.”

“Are you Muggle-born?” Joshua asked.

“Half,” Changkyun answered, a semblance of a small smile creeping on his face. “You are too, right?”

“Guilty as charged,” Joshua laughed, trying to make the mood lighter. Changkyun seemed more comfortable, at least. “I’m more Muggle than wizard, though. Muggle-born father and Muggle mother.”

“My dad’s Muggle-born too. Mom’s Pureblood,” Changkyun replied.

“That’s a very rare combination,” Joshua mused. “Well, at least here in Hogwarts.”

Changkyun nodded, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. “Yeah. It’s pretty normal in Ilvermorny, though.”

“I know!” he said, grinning. Finally, he found someone to talk to about Ilvermorny. “Your parents studied there?”

“Dad. Mom studied in Mahoutokoro because it’s the closest major wizarding school to home,” Changkyun answered. Joshua had almost forgotten that South Korea only had one small private wizarding school. His father once even considered making Joshua study in Mahoutokoro months before he turned seven years old. His mother had been against it, saying it was too early for Joshua to be apart from them just to study magic. It was also unnecessary, since Ilvermorny was just in the same country as they were back then.

“How they met must be an interesting story then,” Joshua mused.

The younger boy smiled and pulled his knees closer to his chest. “Dad travels a lot, and one trip brought him to Mom. But even after I was born, we still traveled. If Mom hadn’t decided to settle here, I would still be in Ilvermorny.”

Joshua’s eyes widened. He could recall a time he never saw Changkyun with Wonwoo for several months. Or was it a year? But he was sure he saw Changkyun back when the boy first entered Hogwarts. “Wait, you studied in Ilvermorny?”

“Just for a year. I was a third year then. So you were, uh, fourth year?” Changkyun said.

“They allowed exchange students?” Joshua added with a perplexed look.

“Curriculum’s almost the same. I just had to be sorted,” the younger boy smiled, as though recalling fond memories.

“Where did you get in?” Joshua asked.

“Horned Serpent.”

He laughed. Changkyun did seem like the type to get in there. “I wonder where I’d be sorted if I studied there.”

“You were supposed to study there?” Changkyun asked.

Joshua nodded. “I lived in Los Angeles for as long as I could remember. Lived in a magical neighborhood with some No-Maj’s. My dad started teaching me spells at a young age, told me I’d be studying in Ilvermorny when I turn eleven years old. But my mom suddenly received a job offer in London, higher pay. She wanted to take it, and since my dad’s an Obliviator, he was able to get a job at the Ministry of Magic easily.”

Changkyun remained silent, his stare still intent on Joshua. He could feel his cheeks burn, hoping the younger boy wasn’t bothered by how open he suddenly became.

“S-so you came back only because your mom settled here in the country?”

The younger boy blinked. “Ah. That’s only one reason, I guess. Studying there was fun but I also missed my friends here. I also never got used to being there, especially because everyone called me Daniel.”

“Daniel,” Joshua repeated, staring at Changkyun. A sudden flash of realization came to him. “No wonder I get so confused with your name!” he exclaimed.

A weak smile crept on Changkyun’s face. Joshua could notice the tips of his ears turn bright red. “Most students here call me Daniel too because they’re more used to English names.” He paused. “I’m… guessing Joshua isn’t your real name?”

Joshua grinned. Unlike Changkyun, he had gotten so used to his English name. “It’s Jisoo. Only a handful know about it, though.”

Changkyun smiled at him. “I see. Does Wonwoo know about it?”

Joshua bit his lip. Now that he thought about it, did most of his friends know about his name? “I’m actually not sure. I know I told…”

He trailed off and cut his thoughts about his two best friends. This wasn’t the best time to mention them.

“I told Mingyu. I think I also told Seokmin? And I think Jihoon knows,” he said.

“Tell me something Jihoon doesn’t know,” Changkyun chuckled. Jihoon was hailed as the smartest in his year, from what Joshua could remember. But Joshua wondered if Changkyun was implying anything else, what with the fact that Jihoon happened to be good friends with social butterfly Soonyoung.

“He doesn’t know we’re both up here in this tower,” Joshua chirped, smirking. Changkyun kept laughing, covering his mouth with his hand. Soon enough, his soft boyish laugh became more high pitched, and Joshua found himself laughing too.

“Didn’t think of that,” Changkyun tittered. “I hope he doesn’t find out.”

“Same. Some seventh years fear him more than the Head Boy and Head Girl, you know,” Joshua added.

“So I’ve heard. Wonwoo teases him a lot about it,” the younger boy said. “Jihoon’s really cool, though. He helps me out in Herbology when Wonwoo’s too busy in Herbology Club.”

“I remember back when Wonwoo wasn’t the president of that club yet,” Joshua began. “Mingyu always asked him for help ever since he made a Mandrake explode.”

Changkyun’s eyes bulged. “You know, Wonwoo told me about that but I don’t know the exact details.”

“It’s really amusing! I even had Mingyu tell me about it right at this very tower. It’s a long story, though,” Joshua said, flashing a small smile.

“I don’t mind. We have the whole night,” Changkyun replied with a hopeful, expectant look.

And indeed, the night had dissolved into lighthearted exchanges and laughter between the two boys. From Mingyu’s Herbology mishap branched stories about Changkyun’s days in Ilvermorny, Joshua’s study habits for his O.W.L.s, and even their shared favorite topics in Ancient Runes. Joshua had learned that Changkyun was that Daniel boy that had been scouted for the Quidditch team back in his first year after the team captain saw him save Wonwoo from a broom going berserk. He had also learned that Changkyun had met his closest friends in the Photography Club save for Jooheon, who befriended him because of Quidditch, and that the boy also joined Astronomy Club (which meant he had access to the tower to an extent). Changkyun was also apparently close with Kihyun, and they had a round of laughter after Joshua asked him how it felt having a friend become his professor. It felt odd for Joshua knowing he could have known these beforehand if only he had paid more attention to people outside his social circle.

Changkyun, in turn, had asked Joshua about his life as a seventh year, how Kihyun was faring as the Frog Choir adviser (“How many times has he nagged you guys?”), and how he had gotten to know Mingyu. “I only see you with Seungcheol and your Slytherin friend,” Changkyun had said. Joshua was glad enough to tell how he and Mingyu had met to shake off thoughts of his other two friends. Changkyun had also asked about Dorito, and they had talked about the Muggle snacks of the same name afterwards.

They hadn’t realized how fast time flew even when the distant color of orange bled into the periwinkle sky. At the middle of their conversation about Quidditch being cancelled this year, high-pitched beeps began trilling from Changkyun’s robes.

“Merlin, it’s this early already,” Changkyun sighed, pulling out his pocketwatch.

Joshua took out his own and gawked. _5 AM._ He still had Ancient Runes at 9 later. “Oh, no. I’m sure the caretaker is still making his rounds,” he groaned.

“I know a shortcut,” Changkyun quickly said, taking out his wand. “Just don’t tell anyone about it.”

* * *

Joshua didn’t expect Changkyun’s secret passageway to lead to the dimly lit school dungeons. He rubbed his arms as they crept through the chilly, stone-walled corridor with silent steps. Not a word escaped from Changkyun as the boy carefully scanned the area. Joshua felt his stomach grumble as they venture further into the dungeons. After a few more steps, he found themselves standing in front of the locked Potions classroom.

“Changkyun, wha–“

Joshua held back a surprised yelp when he saw Changkyun take out a brass key. “Why do you have that?” he whispered. He could only guess Kihyun gave it to Changkyun, since the younger boy didn’t seem like the type to steal it or have a copy of the key forged without permission.

“It’s for emergencies,” Changkyun replied, eyes fixed on the closed door. The boy gently swung the door open after the key made a soft clink, tucking the key back in his robe’s pocket and replacing it with his wand. With a sharp and wordless bend of the wrist, a bright light illuminated from the tip of his wand.

“We’re only two months in the year and you’re already doing well with nonverbal magic,” Joshua whispered as they moved further inside the room.

“Studied a bit during the break,” Changkyun replied as he examined the walls lined with potions and ingredients. He rushed to the shelf beside the student supply cupboard and pushed his hand in, setting phials of liquid fixings and vessels of solid parts aside. Joshua watched him slowly return the glass containers in their places once he brought out a small vial. It was filled to the brim with murky gray liquid and bits of floating purple sparks.

“That doesn’t look like something you should intake,” Joshua said as Changkyun held the vial up.

"It's not an official potion. It's more of an energy drink since we don't have access to coffee,” Changkyun replied, pulling off the vial cap. Wonwoo probably didn’t tell Changkyun that Mingyu always brought a luggage-full of instant coffee packets every year. “I would offer you some, but I’m going to need your help getting back to the common room.”

Joshua raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

Changkyun sucked in a breath as he held the vial close to his lips. “You’ll see.”

Joshua didn’t have time to react as the boy tipped the vial contents into his mouth without a second thought. Changkyun pocketed the vial after the last drop had fallen, and Joshua bit back a distressed noise when Changkyun suddenly hunched over the nearest table.

“Changkyun?”

Joshua received a hiccup in reply, which turned into a fit of giggles. The scarlet color slowly glowing brighter on the boy’s face wasn’t helping Joshua relieve his growing stress. At least this was enough to remove Joshua’s supposed sleepiness.

“A-are you drunk?” Joshua squeaked, helping Changkyun stand up straight.

Changkyun giggled again, high-pitched and loud. “No, no. Uh. No.” This time, he snorted. “It’s… it’s a s-side effect.”

“A side effect that makes you look drunk,” Joshua sighed.

“For half an hour,” Changkyun finished in a sing-song voice, wearing the goofiest grin Joshua never thought he’d see the boy wear. Joshua held the younger boy’s wrist and led him out of the room.

“Um, you can still lock the door, right?” Joshua asked, closing the classroom door.

Changkyun took out the key from his pocket and locked the room, though Joshua had to grab the key when Changkyun slowly walked away without getting it. “Oh, thank you. I get forgetful when I drink that thing,” the boy said with a wide grin. “You’re probably worrying right now, right? Fear not, I know a secret passage back to Ravenclaw Tower.”

It didn’t get easier for Joshua when Changkyun began stumbling. Changkyun led him to a corner and told him to tap a series of stones, similar to what they do in Diagon Alley, and a large passageway with steps opened.

“It closes after a few minutes. Hyungwon and I found it when we overstayed at the Astronomy Tower and Kihyun won’t let us in their common room,” Changkyun said, swaying as he took the first step on the stairs. “Ah, good, good times. Good times.”

Joshua smirked as he placed Changkyun’s arm around his shoulder. He lugged the boy up the narrow steps, listening to him reminisce on his past experiences in the Astronomy Club, most involving nights with Hyungwon. Joshua wondered if there was something more to them, but decided to stay quiet instead. It wasn’t the time, not when he was trying to focus keeping himself and Changkyun moving.

Suddenly, Changkyun stopped in his steps. Joshua glanced at him in worry. “Are you okay?”

“You know, Josh, y-you’re a cool guy,” Changkyun hiccupped. Before Joshua could reply his thanks, Changkyun quickly added, “Not like Wonwoo.”

Joshua’s eyes widened. Changkyun had been talking amicably about Wonwoo just hours ago.

“Pfft. Wonwoo. Jeon Wonwoo. That stupid, handsome jerk,” Changkyun continued before taking a step. They remained silent after a few more steps. “Who promises to be at your practice but bails? Two times too! Tell me, who does that!”

Joshua didn’t know what to say. “Oh, oh gosh. I’m sorry he did that…”

“And then, and then, then he missed dinner earlier, you know? So I ate alone.”

Joshua frowned. He still had a lot to learn about this boy, but he’d thought Changkyun had a few more friends.

“I’m being petty, aren’t I?” Changkyun let out a snort. “He’s allowed to have other friends…”

He remained silent, listening to the younger boy silently whine into his shoulder. This was probably the most interesting icebreaker story Joshua had with anyone.

“Stupid Wonwoo. Stupid mirror,” Changkyun murmured before finally staying silent. Though Joshua wasn’t sure what that exactly meant, he was suddenly reminded of how he first felt when he found out about his crush on Seungcheol. And he remembered why he had been at the tower in the first place. He glanced at Changkyun’s head nuzzled against his shoulder, and realized that they must have a lot more in common than he thought.

It took a few more minutes until Joshua reached the end of the hidden passageway. Changkyun was still silent, probably too engrossed with his feelings or too drowsy to realize where they were, and Joshua tried tapping the stones the same fashion as earlier. The stones shifted and formed a narrow exit, allowing Joshua to push Changkyun through first before stepping out.

“Huh. Fifth floor storage room?” Joshua said, spotting the array of barrels and shelves with flasks full of cleaning potions. Changkyun nodded against his shoulder.

They soon made their way to the common room after a few turns in the Fifth floor corridor. Even in a drunk-like state, Changkyun was able to answer the common room riddle without batting an eyelash. Luckily, there were still no students around yet. Joshua tossed Changkyun on the nearest sofa before collapsing at the other end. He wasn’t that sleepy anymore, but he set his pocketwatch to ring at 8 just in case. He kept his pocketwatch in his left hand and was about to close his eyes until he heard footsteps coming closer.

“Changkyun? Joshua? What are you two doing here?”

Joshua breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it was just Wonwoo and not a prefect. _Not Jihoon_ , Joshua laughed mentally.

“You know, just chilling,” came Changkyun’s voice from the other end of the sofa. Joshua quickly sat up, finding the other boy still lying down with eyes shut. He glanced at Wonwoo, who looked at Changkyun with concern.

“You weren’t in our dorm room when I woke up,” Wonwoo added, his voice a tad pitch higher. Changkyun stayed still in reply.

“We woke up a little too early and bumped onto each other last night here,” Joshua said softly.

“O-okay. Since when were you two friends?” Wonwoo asked.

“Since last night,” Changkyun spoke up. Suddenly, the boy moved from where he was and stood up to wrap an arm around Joshua’s shoulder. Joshua tried to keep his calm – he didn’t want to be caught up in troubles between these two.

“What?” Wonwoo asked, looking at them incredulously. He was probably more surprised with Changkyun’s antics than his answer.

“Take it however you want. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Joshua and I are going to try getting some sleep before class later,” Changkyun said. He pulled Joshua up off the couch and towards the dorms, leaving a confused Wonwoo.

“I-I’ll wake you up before Arithmancy,” came Wonwoo’s voice. Joshua glanced at the boy over his shoulder and sent an apologetic look.

Once they heard the common room door open, Joshua stopped in his tracks. “Why aren’t you telling him the truth? And are you really going to sleep? You said the potion was an energy drink.”

Changkyun pursed his lips. “I want to see him agitated, at least for now. I’ll tell him eventually. It’s hard to keep secrets from Wonwoo. Like I’d want to, anyway.” There was a twinge of guilt in his voice. Maybe the side effects were slowly wearing off. “Thanks for keeping me company and dragging me upstairs,” he added with a grin. “And I'll still try to nap. I won't be as sleepy when I wake up compared to when I don't drink the potion. Up to try it one day?”

Joshua smirked and shook his head. Definitely no, especially after how he’d seen Changkyun act. “I don’t get much sleep these days anyway, so I’m used to it.”

Changkyun’s smile fell, his expression returning to a serious look. “First task?”

He nodded in reply. There was no point in hiding it from Changkyun. After their shared evening of stories, he felt he could trust the boy.

“I’m not sure if it’ll make you feel better, but griffins are territorial and you didn’t hear it from me.” Changkyun gave him a small smile. “Thanks for last night again.”

The younger boy walked up the common room steps and towards the sixth year boys’ dormitory, leaving a baffled Joshua behind.

_Did he just… give me a tip?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter is dedicated to ramenrulz8p because without her, i wouldn't be here writing about my (or rather our XD) favorite boy 5ever im changkyun. also because she's my enabler and made me write wonwoo/changkyun :'D
> 
> thank you to everyone who read, kudos'd, bookmarked, and left comments! i'll reply once i get some sleep XD
> 
> expect triwizard tournament (and more minshua, i promise) soon. send prayers for the hogwarts champion <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [cravatty] sorry for the late (and kinda short) update! i was super busy the last month and i was dragged out from my house a lot and all, especially bc my parents made me celebrate my birthday like 3 times XD 
> 
> added ramenrulz8p as co-author bc she contributes a LOT to this fic and its backstories. this entire au is practically our baby. XD
> 
> anyway, i promise next chapter's gonna be the tournament's first task. for now, feels i guess.

_Griffins are territorial and you didn't hear it from me._

Joshua realized he had been smearing mashed potatoes around chopped vegetables at the corner of his plate with his fork for the past fifteen minutes. Part of him was still bothered that such a creature would be used ( _at least it’s not a dragon, Josh_ , he told himself) and another was curious how Changkyun, of all people, had such information. He couldn't sleep a wink earlier, and instead had stared at the dormitory ceiling while stroking Dorito's fur until he had to get ready for his first class.

It gave him a sense of closeness with Dorito again, at least. It was only now he realized he really hadn't been paying attention to Dorito whenever they were in Hogwarts, what with how much time he spent with Jeonghan and Seungcheol instead. He wasn't any better than them, neglecting a close friend.

But Dorito wasn't like him. Joshua had the tendency to ignore close friends who had neglected him for a short while, depending on how hurt he felt, but Dorito stayed patient with Joshua no matter how many weeks Joshua hadn't rubbed his belly.

He continued eating his lunch, thinking how on Earth he would pass the intel Changkyun had given him to Seungcheol. Despite his frustration, he still wanted Seungcheol to survive with his limbs and sanity intact. He had consulted Dorito about it (“Three meows for yes and two for no, okay?”). A Howler was tempting, definitely would give them an unnecessary scare too (and Dorito actually liked the idea), but the message would rattle the entire castle. And naturally, Joshua didn't want to see them today.

Their final choice, a simple handwritten note, was readily tucked in his pocket. Now he just needed someone to pass it on, but he couldn't trust just any Gryffindor or Slytherin for the job. There was Soonyoung, but the impending problem of him peeking at the note's contents made Joshua dismiss him as an option. (And while he could cast a charm to prevent it, Joshua was too tired to even attempt casting it.) Jihoon was the best option, since he practically memorized people's schedules, but he was too busy for Joshua to bother him with a favor. He doubted he could find Minghao, Jun, and Chan for them to deliver the note. He could ask Vernon, who owed him a lot of favors after Joshua lent him most of his Potions notes, but the young boy was just as hard to find as the latter three and he was clueless on the couple’s whereabouts. There was an option to owl them, but the walk to the Owlery would take longer than the owl actually delivering the note.

After failing to choose someone, Joshua had decided that he could just enchant the note so it could fly and find either Seungcheol or Jeonghan. It was best done in his favorite spot in the library, so no one would see him.

He left the Great Hall and reached a long hallway in the second floor, surprised at the amount of first and second years scampering to the walls. “Pardon me! Exsqueeze me! Prefect coming through! No running or I'll make Peeves come after you!” a familiar cheerful voice called. “Extra house points if you move it!”

Of course! Why hadn't he thought of Seokmin?

The loud Prefect was still wading through the hallway, carrying a gigantic box with items dangerously ready to fall out while spouting ridiculously playful comments for students to move away from him. Some kids were asking him about Seungcheol support merchandise, others asking about the extra house points, one in particular seemed convinced Seokmin could control Peeves, and… some Beauxbatons girls were around too, looking uncomfortable and very out of place.

But the hallway was still as busy as ever. The different lunch schedules of upperclassmen and lowerclassmen had always been a problem in many ways (Mingyu had complained it extended house-elf lunch hour work), and Seokmin was taking the brunt of it all now.

“Come on, everyone, please move,” he could hear Seokmin plead. “If only I could transfigure into a bulldozer or something…”

Joshua could spot a bunch of envelopes wobbling at the edge of the box. He sheepishly asked the remaining students between them to move until Seokmin was close enough for him to grab hold of the envelopes.

“Merlin's beard, a blessing,” Seokmin gasped. “Thanks for that, Joshua!”

Joshua chuckled and glanced at the envelopes in his hand. All of them were addressed to Seungcheol.

“…what's the rush?” he asked, returning the envelopes in the box.

“I have to deliver these gifts to our champion before my Charms class starts! But you know hallway traffic. I had to be pushy,” Seokmin sighed. Joshua wouldn't use pushy, but it was uncharacteristic of Seokmin to do this. “Sometimes I wish I could yell something like ‘Scram or I'll peel you like tangerines,’ but apparently that's considered grounds for harassment. And I'm a Prefect!”

“Better stay on the safe side when exercising authority. It's why kids love you,” Joshua chuckled. “A-anyway, you're going to deliver the box to Seungcheol?”

Seokmin nodded behind the giant box. “Yeah! I heard that Professor Kihyun called him over for some quick potions 101 lecture. Knowing how long Professor's talks are… yeah. Do you want to join me?”

Joshua shook his head and smiled weakly. “Actually, I just want you to pass on this note. I trust you enough not to look at it.”

Seokmin started sniffling. “D'aww, no one really says that to me! They all think that I can't keep secrets or respect privacy because of my voice.”

“Calm your crocodile tears. I also trust you not to tell them it's from me.”

Seokmin lowered the box, revealing a concerned expression. “Oh. I can do that. Sure.” He bit his lip before continuing. “Um, are you okay, Joshua?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm just tired,” Joshua replied softly. “Take care on your way, okay?”

Seokmin looked unconvinced, but the weight and value of the box was more urgent to attend to. “You too! And please get rest!”

The boy trotted away, hugging the box even more tightly. Joshua smiled to himself and resumed his walk to the library, taking Seokmin's request to heart. He let himself take a two-hour nap in the library, which enough to kick Joshua's attentiveness into high gear during Arithmancy. Care of Magical Creatures became bearable today as well, since their professor only made them observe Blast-Ended Skrewts for an upcoming quiz. Joshua wanted to ask about griffins minutes before their class was dismissed, but surely their professor would catch on Joshua knowing more than he should. It was best to keep to himself.

That's what he continued telling himself when Seungcheol and Jeonghan showed up by the corridor next to the field for the magical creatures class. With a far look in his eyes, Joshua walked past by them without uttering a word.

“Joshua!” “Hey, Josh!”

His walking pace was steady.

“Maybe he can't hear us,” Seungcheol's voice echoed. It wasn't far from the truth if _can’t_ was replaced with _doesn’t want to._

It was easier to pretend he couldn't hear them in the library, when whispers of his name could be “mistaken” for voices in his head. “Psst, Josh,” and “Hey, hey,” were blocked out easily, and Jeonghan's eventual loud hissing produced a warning and request to leave from the librarian.

When dinner arrived, Joshua huddled himself with Jihoon and Vernon. Jihoon's presence warded the two off, because apparently, “I caught those two defiling the sanctity of the Trophy Room.” Vernon quickly changed the topic before his appetite flew out of the castle.

He decided to leave early while Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students poured in the Great Hall, hoping the two wouldn't notice. Jihoon had noticed them staring and questioned it immediately. “You usually eat with them,” he had added, suspicious.

But when he reached the doors of the Great Hall, the couple was already standing by it. Joshua stared at them for no more than five seconds before turning and walking away.

“Joshua Hong!”

He didn't stop walking until he reached an empty hallway, as Jeonghan took the opportunity to yell out, “Joshua, listen to us!”

He didn't move or turn to face them, his feet firmly planted on the spot, waiting to hear what they had to say. “H-How'd you find out about the griffin?”

Ice flowed through Joshua’s veins and he couldn’t help but let out a soft annoyed huff. If he had a time-turner, Joshua would've reclaimed the lost thirty seconds he had given Jeonghan and stormed off instead. Hoping for an apology was a mistake, let alone expecting. This was Yoon Jeonghan he was facing - Joshua could count the number of apologies his friend had given with his two hands and even have a remainder of free fingers. Though Jeonghan apologized more with actions than words, he didn't do either tonight.

And Merlin, Seungcheol. Gryffindor, but spineless to say anything. How could he call himself a champion? How in the world was he going to take on a griffin if he couldn’t even take on his friend? At least Jeonghan made an effort to speak.

Joshua started to leave when a hand reached for his shoulder. At that, he looked back with wide eyes warning Jeonghan to remove his hand.

“Hurry up, Changkyun! I'm really hungry!”

“If you want to get there faster, help me! Quidditch uniforms aren’t feather-light, you know!”

Jeonghan retracted his hand with furrowed brows as Changkyun and Wonwoo barreled into the hallway with heavy footsteps and soft chortling. Changkyun passed a heavy-looking satchel at Wonwoo while clutching his Firebolt Supreme broomstick. The two Ravenclaw boys stopped at the sight of them, and Joshua awkwardly smiled at them.

“Hey,” Changkyun greeted. Wonwoo gave him a nod of acknowledgement as he wore the satchel strap on his shoulder.

“I see you two have made up,” Joshua said. Changkyun bit his lip and his ears went noticeably red. He must have jabbed Changkyun's memory of being semi-drunk.

“The nap worked wonders,” Wonwoo answered. “A cranky Changkyun is hard to deal with.”

“As if you're any better,” Changkyun huffed. He glanced at Joshua, then past him, then back at him again. _You told them_ , his eyes inquired. Joshua nodded.

“Sorry to cut this short. We're really starving. And sorry for bothering you guys with your talk,” Changkyun said.

Joshua quirked a brow. “I wasn't talking to anyone before you guys showed up.”

The two younger boys stared at him with jaws dropped. He assumed the other two behind him were doing the same. His face was calm, but the fire in his eyes made Changkyun think otherwise. The boy had probably pieced together why Joshua had been in the tower last night.

“O…kay,” Wonwoo mumbled. “See you in the common room.”

“See you two,” Joshua smiled back. He walked ahead. No one followed him anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to be longer and less angsty but hey they'll make up in the next chapter i'm not heartless 95 line is love
> 
> and if anyone actually wants pictures of changkyun and wonwoo together: [1](https://68.media.tumblr.com/55be26cc0a0d18a112764612153904fd/tumblr_nwdeo0TMZL1uau7uho2_540.gif), [2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CV1nnwMUkAAmGMx.jpg), [3](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CVT86sdUAAEa1r5.jpg), [4](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjdAlqJUkAAmg6k.jpg) also there's a vine of wonwoo backhugging changkyun but rip vine orz
> 
> also jeongcheol were just kissing in the trophy room- nothing more (jihoon just thinks that kind of behavior in a sanctified place is uncalled for XD)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [cravatty] hi everyone!!! this fic isn’t dead!!! i’m so so so so so sorry for the late update ;-; and i hope the length of the chapter and the minshua load compensate for it! and please welcome my co-author ramenrulz8p with open arms!!! without her this chapter wouldn’t even make it to the light of day this fast hahaha please enjoy!!!! <3

Joshua was amazed he had a decent dreamless sleep. He almost expected nightmares to plague him since today was the day of the First Task and he’d blatantly ignored Jeonghan and Seungcheol the day before. Instead of waking up breathless in cold sweat, Joshua found himself oddly at peace as he stared at the wooden framework of his bunk. Guilt slowly settled in when his mind recalled their shocked faces from the night before.

With a sigh, Joshua sat up in his bed as the events of last night became clearer in his head. Part of him couldn’t believe he’d said it to their faces. Another part of him felt elated he’d finally said _something_. When it came down to it, Joshua was thankful for the fact only Wonwoo and Changkyun had seen what went down, as they weren’t the type to spread other people’s business. Having a spat like this spread around on a normal year would have been bad enough, but with The Daily Prophet’s gossip column hovering around the campus, there was no telling how wildly out of proportion they could blow this up if they knew of it.

Eventually, Joshua decided that the twisting in his gut wasn’t from guilt but hunger instead. He willed himself to finally crawl out of bed and take a shower. Once he was dressed and ready, Joshua blankly stared at the pouch of ‘Support Seungcheol’ goods he’d been handed before simply stuffing it into his messenger bag. As angry as he was at Seungcheol, Seokmin and his other friends had worked extremely hard on the merchandise. It would be rude if he didn’t bring anything. Maybe he would forego wearing the badges, but he would at least wave his banner. Dorito didn't show his usual signs of protest when Joshua added the items to his bag, so that was something too.

The boy left the Ravenclaw dormitory with his cat by his side until they reached the busy lower floors. Packs of students were huddled together in the Grand Staircase, all clad in their supportive gear. The Hogwarts students had their Seungcheol buttons and banners out. Likewise, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students had their own ways of supporting their respective champions. As he passed the Beauxbaton’s group, Joshua choked back a laugh - they’d gone as far as to wear their champion's face on their shirts. Seokmin, thankfully, hadn't pushed his merchandise that far.

When Joshua arrived at the Great Hall, it wasn't too occupied and each table still had decent amounts of food. He was lucky he waited to eat. Most people had tried to squeeze in the earliest breakfast possible today. Coming late was the best way to avoid starting the day sardined. Only a few Hogwarts students were scattered around the hall now, while a handful of Durmstrang students dominated in the corners of the area, chomping down today's eggs and sausage.

Dorito wiggled until he suddenly hopped off Joshua's arms and sauntered to the Hufflepuff table, where three students were seated. He followed his cat and smiled as he noticed a familiar mop of black hair.

The boy quickly glanced at Dorito after the cat meowed at him. “Good morning, Dorito,” Mingyu cooed.

“And good morning to you,” Joshua greeted. Mingyu quickly turned to him and replied with a beam.

“Morning, Joshua!” he chirped, cheeks rising as his smile grew wider. “Just in time, the house elves just brought in more food.”

Joshua slipped himself right next to Mingyu and grabbed two empty plates from the center of the table. The two boys across him, both youthful and wearing innocent expressions, broke their focus on their own cereal-filled bowls and looked at him. Joshua recognized them as two younger kids from the Frog Choir.

The boy at the left had tousled black hair and wide eyes. Judging by the the black and yellow scarf and yellow ‘Support Seungcheol’ badge, he was a Hufflepuff.

“Oh! I should introduce you,” Mingyu said enthusiastically. “This is our new Beater, Gwanghyun! He's also in S.P.E.W.”

The younger boy smiled shyly at Joshua, which he reciprocated. “Hello,” Joshua said. The Hufflepuff boy’s irises vanished behind squinted eyes born from a wide and bright smile. Joshua wasn’t particularly close with the young boy, but he often saw Gwanghyun with the boy beside him or sometimes with Seokmin.

“We already know each other,” the second boy spoke. He had round cheeks and a gentle stare. “Joshua, in the Frog Choir, right?”

Joshua nodded, giving a friendly smile. He actually knew the name of this second boy. Everyone in the Frog Choir knew his name, even if they didn't know him personally.

“And you're Sewoon, right?”

The Slytherin boy had been bagged into the Frog Choir for being a singer and guitarist in his first year. He was mild mannered and aloof, but Joshua had heard he was also a stern Prefect. Anyone who knew Professor Kihyun, knew he had a soft spot for the young boy. Rumors said that Sewoon was the professor's first choice to lead the choir if not for his age. Meanwhile, he hadn’t heard much of Gwanghyun, but from what he knew of him the boy was full of hidden talents and charms.

“Wait, I didn’t know you were in the Frog Choir,” Mingyu said, pointing at Gwanghyun. The younger boy’s smile became sheepish as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

“I just joined last year,” the boy admitted. “I’m still more active in S.P.E.W.”

“You have to be just as active in the choir,” Sewoon said, nudging the boy on the shoulder. “Professor Kihyun’s being extra mindful of you, remember?”

“I know, I know,” Gwanghyun sighed sadly. The table went quiet for a brief moment until Gwanghyun looked at Joshua. “You’re best friends with Seungcheol, right?”

“O-oh. I suppose I am,” Joshua replied, surprised that someone very outside their circle was aware of this fact. Most students only knew Jeonghan.

Gwanghyun’s smile grew brighter. “That’s so cool! You know, Mingyu asked me to help him hand out these neat badges and our cheering kits.” He pulls up the part of his scarf holding his animated badge.

Joshua glanced at Mingyu and raised a brow. “Making someone else do the work for you?” he joked.

Mingyu’s brows furrowed. “That is such a mean accusation, Joshua,” he answered in mock hurt. “I had a set list of Hufflepuffs to give kits to and Gwanghyun knows the younger kids.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that Seokmin actually managed to organize a really big operation for Seungcheol’s cheering kits?” Joshua gawked. Vernon hadn’t told him everything, it seemed.

“Well, actually, I organized distribution.” Mingyu smiled bashfully, as he turned to take another bite of his food. He cleared his throat and looked back at Joshua before he went on, “Seokmin was in charge of getting the merchandise and putting together the main cheering squad. He’s the one ordered hundreds of badges, banners, fans, and mini-pompoms for each house.”

Joshua’s eyes went wide as he tried to contemplate how much money they would have had to spend to order all of this. He’d thought they’d made it by hand.

Mingyu took note of the look in the Ravenclaw’s eyes and explained. “You know, he’s always been resourceful when he wants to be. There’s also the fact his family is swimming in galleons. But Seokmin considered it his sworn duty as Hogwarts’ number one hype man to put together a cheering squad. And that’s why he formed the Seungcheol Support Squad.” Mingyu paused for a second and backtracked. “He would have asked you or Jeonghan to join, but you’re busy seventh years.”

Joshua couldn’t help but laugh. Did they really name themselves the Seungcheol Support Squad? “That’s so cute of you guys,” he said. Hearing the amount of effort (and money) Seokmin put forth really made Joshua consider wearing his badge now.

His stomach rumbled, pulling him from his thoughts to the real reason he’d sat down. Joshua took a whiff of the delicious food laid out before him and happily took scrambled eggs, tiny sausages, and pancakes. He’d procured some milk and fish for Dorito to eat as well before he dug into his own plate.

The whole time he ate, Mingyu entertained him with wild stories of how he and Seokmin managed to get their hands on such high quality merchandise on such short notice. As he listened, Joshua wonder if these were just tall tales Mingyu was spouting to impress the younger students.

“You and Seokmin fought an orge?” Joshua questioned, skeptically tilting his head up at Mingyu.

Mingyu scrunched his nose as he looked back at Joshua, his eyes glinting with pride and mischief. “Fought is a strong word. It was more like we had an unpleasant exchange.”

“With fists,” Sewoon calmly assessed, sounding slightly amused.

Joshua couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew Mingyu and Seokmin occasionally got into trouble, but this was a new level of insanity, even for them. “You did all this for some merchandise?”

“These were made by that famous Swedish brand, weren’t they?” Gwanghyun asked as he tugged on his badge, flipping it over to show the company's insignia. “Didn’t the Owl Post ban them?”

Mingyu nodded. “That’s why Seokmin and I ended up facing an ogre. Smuggling stuff into Hogwarts when security is at its peak may not have been the best idea. But hey! It worked out in the end.”

“Wow, just… wow.” Joshua found himself unable to articulate a response to Mingyu’s actions. He didn’t know if he should commend the boy or smack him for being so reckless. On top of that, there was the nonchalant manner in which Mingyu reacted to the whole ordeal. And he thought Seungcheol had been a handful.

“You know, Mingyu, I sometimes wonder what it would be like if you were the champion,” Gwanghyun mused playfully.

Joshua nearly choked on his pancakes. He reached for his orange juice and gulped down the lump in his throat. None of the other boys seemed to notice his struggles as he eyed them wearily. It might have been a passing thought, but these boys may not fully understand the sheer danger and stress the tournaments had brought.

Mingyu, however, never ceased to surprise him.

“I’m okay with never having the chance. The life of a Triwizard Champion doesn’t seem cut out for me,” Mingyu replied. The air of distaste in his tone made Joshua feel inexplicably relieved.

“But, you have a penchant for occasionally fighting ogres in an alleyway?” Sewoon teased, maintaining his straight faced expression.

The four of them burst out laughing as the mood shifted back to what it had been.

Mingyu caught his breath as he raised his hands in resignation. “If I have no other options.”

Their conversation steered back to topics more light hearted, like the upcoming practice match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff or the horrendous potion’s assignment that had been given to the fifth years. As Joshua picked at his pancakes and watched the younger boys talk, he couldn’t help but to think, _This is nice_.

It had been a while since he’d sat with someone and enjoyed breakfast. Simply being able to sit at a table and laugh amongst good company without feeling left out.

“Look, it’s Joshua and Mingyu!” a familiar voice boomed from behind.

It was a shame such moments were short lived.

Joshua turned to find Seokmin… and Jeonghan.

He felt his stomach churn again. His appetite abandoned him and he didn’t think he could finish the last half of his pancake. At sight of Jeonghan, Joshua felt his bitterness simmer again, only to be drenched by waves of guilt. The emotions clashed in his head as the two boys walked over to them. Joshua chose to focus on his plate and force down the pancake. He drowned out Seokmin and Jeonghan greeting Mingyu by listening to Gwanghyun and Sewoon discuss their plan to get seats for the First Task. He stayed intently fixated on the two younger boys until Seokmin called him.

“And how are you, Joshua?” Seokmin chimed cheerfully, blissfully ignorant to the rapidly chilling atmosphere. Joshua swallowed his food forcibly as he found himself sandwiched between Jeonghan and Mingyu.

He greeted the eager Hufflepuff with a diplomatic smile. “I’m okay. Just finished breakfast.”

“Why’d you eat breakfast late?” Jeonghan pointedly asked.

Joshua’s fork scratched his plate as he thought of what to say.

“Everyone knows that the Beauxbatons students eat the earliest, so the hall gets packed pretty fast,” Mingyu calmly answered for him.

Joshua felt his heart swell with thanks at Mingyu’s gesture, he was even more thankful that Jeonghan decided not to push it.

“Those veelas just won’t let us live,” Seokmin sighed dramatically as he poured himself some milk.

Mingyu dropped his fork and looked over at his friend with a frown. “Have they been bothering you again?”

Seokmin’s face scrunched up in distaste as he recounted, “They had tried to corner me this morning while I was on patrol! Luckily, Minghao yelled at them and made them go away.”

“Have you tried telling a professor?” Sewoon offered, sounding concerned.

While the others went on about how Seokmin should deal with his veela problem, neither Joshua nor Jeonghan spoke. The Ravenclaw felt the weight of Jeonghan’s glare as he meekly picked at his pancake. Joshua knew he could only avoid speaking to Jeonghan for so long. He just wasn’t ready to have a conversation with him yet.

The doors of the Great Hall flung open and the chatter around them died down. Gasps and hushed whispers filled the air as the sound of light footsteps from heavy boots clacked and echoed throughout the now silent hall. Mingyu looked over Joshua’s shoulder to the front of the hall and widened his eyes.

Joshua turned his head to see who in the world could possibly be domineering all this attention. As he laid eyes on the figure strutting down the Great Hall, Joshua understood why everyone had stopped what they were doing.

The person had a face so smooth yet so chiseled that it looked like it had been made from porcelain. Their long silky black hair flowed with their maroon Durmstrang coat as they walked with an air of grace Joshua had only ever seen in Beauxbaton students. However, this person gave even the veelas a run for their money.

From the way they held their head high to the way kept their shoulders squared, it looked like they were walking down the hall to be coronated, not merely to eat breakfast.

Joshua didn’t know if he was imagining things, but it seemed the person was heading their direction.

“Oh, shit,” he heard Jeonghan curse.  “He found me.”

Mingyu nudged Joshua from his other side, looking extremely curious. “Who is that?” Mingyu mouthed. Joshua raised his shoulders, as he wasn’t sure too.

“Jeonghan!” the beautiful boy called out, flashing a kilowatt smile at the Slytherin boy. “So, this is where you were. I thought we agreed to meet up before we headed out to the arena. Are you really going to disappoint your favorite cousin?”

In all his years knowing Jeonghan, the boy had never mentioned his favorite cousin. Or any cousin for that matter, as Jeonghan rarely spoke of his extended family. But there was no mistaking the tautness of Jeonghan’s smile or the tightness in his eyes. Joshua guessed favorite was the not the word he’d use to describe this cousin.

“Sorry, Minki, I ran into my friends,” Jeonghan apologized as the crinkles around his eyes grew. From his pinched tone, Joshua knew Jeonghan was far from feeling apologetic.

Minki raised his brows and smiled back at Jeonghan almost innocently, if not for the glint in his eyes. “Oh good, I was beginning to think you didn’t know anyone besides Seungcheol.”

Joshua physically restrained himself from snorting. He had heard many people taunt and tease Jeonghan about Seungcheol before, but no one had gone for him quite like this. An odd sense of validation flowed through the Ravenclaw as he saw Jeonghan’s ears turn red. Joshua knew that Jeonghan was fuming despite the smile on his face. To his surprise, Jeonghan didn’t try to argue.

Not that he could. After all, Minki’s accusations stemmed from the truth.

His long black hair swished gracefully as he turned his head to rest of them. “Hello, everyone, I’m Choi Minki, Jeonghan’s cousin.”

The smile on Minki’s face seemed kinder than before as he faced them. His pale grey eyes swept over each one of them until they landed on Joshua. The Durmstrang boy’s eyes widened as he leaned over his cousin to grab Joshua’s hand.

“Oh! You must be Joshua! I've only ever heard of you. It’s so good to finally meet you.” Minki’s smile was warm, perhaps even a little over-friendly as he greeted him.

“Nice to finally meet you, too,” Joshua replied a little awkwardly, still confused. He wasn’t sure how to handle Minki’s exuberant nature, but some bitter part of his mind revelled in the fact someone noticed that Jeonghan and Seungcheol often left him out.

At some point, Dorito had hopped from his perch on the table and had began mewling and purring as he rubbed against Minki’s boots, calling the Durmstrang boy’s attention away from Joshua.

“Aren’t you the cutest little thing?” Minki babbled as he crouched down and scratched the cat in all the right places. Dorito’s tails swished with delight as he circled Minki, who was more than happy to give him attention.

Joshua looked down at his cat in bewilderment. Dorito never warmed up to strangers so quickly. It was an odd sight to behold as Minki was able to pat Dorito’s head without getting scratched on his first try. Looking around the table, Joshua found that his friends seemed to be equally alarmed. Mingyu frowned, mouthing the word ‘traitor’ as he glared at Dorito with a big pout. While Seokmin simply raised a confused brow, Jeonghan was starting to turn red with what Joshua guessed was anger.

“What’s its name?” Minki chimed, scratching the Dorito’s chin.

“His name is Dorito,” Mingyu answered, sounding slightly standoffish as he addressed Minki with his arms crossed.

The Durmstrang boy smiled up at him, “Is he your cat?”

Mingyu shook his head, his scowl slowly turning to a pout. “No, he’s Joshua’s cat, but it seems you’re stealing my title as ‘Favorite Human Who is Not Joshua’.”

Minki laughed and picked up Dorito in his arms, without so much as an irritated tail swish. “I’m sorry I imposed...uh…” his voice trailed off as he tried to recall a name that hadn’t been given to him.

“Mingyu. Kim Mingyu,” the tall Hufflepuff boy introduced himself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mingyu,” he said, holding out a hand while keeping Dorito in the other.

As Minki went around learning the names of their small huddled group, Joshua saw Jeonghan’s glare get sharper with each second that passed. Minki had been in the middle of laughing at a something Seokmin said when Jeonghan butted in.

“What do you want, Minki? There’s a reason you came all the way here, isn’t there?” His words seemed pleasant, but they held a sharpness which was only apparent to people who knew Jeonghan well. If his body language didn’t give away to Joshua that the Slytherin did not like his cousin, the way he addressed him certainly did.

Minki didn’t seem the slightest bit phased by it as he turned to Jeonghan and gave him a warm smile. “Oh, I just wanted you to pass on to Seungcheol that I wish him luck.”

“Is there a reason you can’t do that yourself?” Jeonghan questioned, raising a unconvinced brow.

The Durmstrang boy put a hand to his chest. With wide eyes and his jaw hung low, he looked positively scandalized by the suggestion. “You want me to speak to Dongho’s rival directly? Not a chance.” Unlike Jeonghan, Minki seemed to be more teasing than hostile.

Joshua felt a chill as he saw Jeonghan’s eyes narrow. His lips curled into a thin smile as he all but glared at his cousin. “It won’t be much of a rivalry.”

“You’re right, it won’t,” Minki fired back, straightening his posture. Though he was shorter than Jeonghan, the electricity that filled his eyes as he smiled was enough to put them on the same level. “Why do you think I wanted to wish him luck?”

Joshua might have jumped in to defend Seungcheol had this been any other day, but his wounds were too raw. Though he wasn’t sure if he should, the Ravenclaw held back watching the scene play out.

“Are you implying that Seungcheol will lose?” Jeonghan’s teeth were clenched into a painful smile as he tried to hold on to the last bits of patience he had.

Joshua was honestly surprised he’d managed to restrain himself this long.

Minki’s unwavering smile made it hard to discern if he purposely pushed the exact button to make Jeonghan go off. “Anyone who goes against my Dongho will need luck to beat him.”

He sounded so confident and so sure that Joshua could almost see the tension in the air snap the moment he’d said the words.

The vein in Jeonghan’s forehead looked ready to burst. “Why you-”

“Minki!” a hurried voice called out, cutting Jeonghan off. Two handsome boys in Durmstrang robes, one rather tall and slender and the other shorter and more boxy, ran towards them. “So this is where you’ve been this whole time. We were looking everywhere for you!”

“I was just greeting Jeonghan and wishing Seungcheol luck.”

Joshua felt like that was somewhat of an understatement, but essentially it was what happened.

“Ah, I see,” the taller one said as he looked them over. He pinpointed a now silent Jeonghan and cordially tipped his head. “Hello, Jeonghan. Sorry to cut Minki’s visit short but we have to get going. We promised to see Dongho before he suits up.”

All the initial hostility seemed to have died around Jeonghan as he gave them a dismissing nod.

“Sorry once again!” the smaller boy said as he bowed before clasping one arm around Minki’s elbow and hauling him out of the hall, Dorito jumping off Minki’s arms. Their small group and literally everyone else in the hall watched Minki and his friends disappear.

“That was weird…” Mingyu said the moment that Minki had left the hall.

Seokmin turned to Jeonghan, eyeing him up and down before asking, “Are you really related to him?”

“Sadly,” the Slytherin boy scoffed as he glared at the direction Minki had gone. He squared his shoulders and picked up the box of stuff they’d set down. “Come on, we have to go see Cheol before he gets suited up too.” Seokmin nodded and gathering his things, preparing to head out.

Joshua had thought he could finally get a chance to breathe easy again as he saw them move to step away, but Jeonghan looked over his shoulder, pinning Joshua to where he stood.

The Ravenclaw held his breath, wondering if Jeonghan was going to ask him if he wanted to come along.

Instead, Jeonghan just asked, “Save me a seat?”

Joshua nodded, feeling both relief and disappointment settle in.

“We were about to head out to look for seats too. Why don’t you join us?” Sewoon suggested, his calm voice pulling Joshua’s thoughts away from treading down the route of dismay. He had almost forgotten Sewoon and Gwanghyun were still with them. “It’ll be hard to save seats once everyone crowds in.”

Before Joshua could remark that he didn’t want to bother saving an extra seat, Mingyu quickly interrupted. “The Seungcheol Support Squad have reserved seats already, so that’s not a problem.”

“You said that Jeonghan and I aren’t part of the squad,” Joshua reminded.

With this, Mingyu’s ears turned pink. “Oh, um… I can always give my seat to Jeonghan.”

Joshua raised a brow. Mingyu giving up his seat for Jeonghan was definitely unexpected for him. The both of them weren’t the most amicable of friends, especially after Jeonghan made a comment about Mingyu always acting like a child whenever Dorito was around. But he supposed Mingyu was doing this out of consideration, since he was able to notice how uncomfortable Joshua had been earlier with Jeonghan around.

“Well, if you’re giving up your seat then you’re free to sit with me,” Joshua offered. “Unless you prefer to sit with someone else.”

Mingyu’s face lit up immediately. “Oh, sitting with you is fine. Great.”

On cue, Dorito leapt on Mingyu’s lap and curled into a little ball. The younger boy pouted and began stroking the cat’s fur. “Yeah, I’ll have to win him over again too.”

Joshua shook his head, amused at how attached Mingyu was with being Dorito’s favorite. If anything, Joshua should be jealous of Mingyu for being better in smothering his cat with affection. “I think Dorito would appreciate you sitting with us.”

They eventually left the Great Hall after setting their plates and bowls on top of each other. “To make work for the house elves easier,” Gwanghyun had said, earning an affectionate hair tousling from Mingyu. It was Sewoon who volunteered to guide them after Mingyu admitted he actually had no idea where the venue was. The younger boy led them through hallways and courtyards still filled with students, making Joshua wonder why they still weren’t leaving for the place. It was not a fifteen minute walk, that’s for sure. Thankfully, Mingyu was more than happy to tell a few more stories about his other exploits with Seokmin and Minghao to keep Joshua entertained while they maneuvered through the castle grounds.

Dorito began pawing on Mingyu’s jacket once they’ve reached the path to the Owlery, making Joshua realize he had forgotten to bring Dorito’s sweater.

“You’re feeling cold, aren’t you?” Mingyu gasped. He began unwrapping the scarf around his neck with one hand, but Joshua quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.

“Use my scarf instead,” he said, unwrapping his own after letting go of Mingyu’s hand. The younger boy only nodded, and Joshua noticed how pink Mingyu’s face was. There was definitely no way he would allow Mingyu to remove his scarf now. “You’re also cold. I’ll be responsible for my cat this time.”

After Joshua had unraveled his scarf entirely, Mingyu gently placed the cat on Joshua’s hands and tucked his hands in his pockets. The older boy then began wrapping Dorito into a living burrito, knowing the exact way to cover him into snugness. He could feel Mingyu’s eyes on him, watching as he tucked the last portions of a scarf like some kind of cat swaddle. Both of them had seemed so absorbed in the task that Sewoon and Gwanghyun had already moved far up the path. Thankfully, it was void of people so the could easily pick out and catch up to their friends. As they drew closer, they could hear Gwanghyun and Sewoon exchange hushed words about Professor Kihyun and the venue.

And much to Joshua’s surprise, said professor was waiting by the entrance of the Owlery with an impatient expression, eyes glued to his pocketwatch. Both Mingyu’s and Gwanghyun’s walking speed slowed down, but Sewoon kept on going like it was nothing.

Joshua shifted his pace, walking alongside the smaller Hufflepuff. “Gwanghyun, why are we walking towards Professor Kihyun?”

Gwanghyun’s eyes went wide for a second, his expression shifting back from nervous to it’s previously glum state. “Oh, um, fair warning, Professor Kihyun is the one who Sewoon arranged a ride with… hope that’s okay.”

Joshua gaped at Gwanghyun. “Ride? How far is the venue?”

Gwanghyun cleared his throat and pointed towards a large cluster of hills in the distance. “It’s a little past the Forbidden Forest so I figured a hitching a carriage ride would be faster than walking.”

“The sooner we arrive there the better. I’m sure the main path will be crowded,” Mingyu assessed, peering into the distance at a large band of students exiting the castle.

The group continued their walk until they reached one edge of the forest. They noticed their Professor in the distance angrily looking down at his watch as he paced.

“Professor!” Sewoon called, making the pink-haired man raise his head. The younger boy strode closer to the man who motioned the rest of them to come closer.

Mingyu seemed to stall at Joshua’s side as he nervously balanced Dorito in his hands.

Sensing his hesitation, Joshua paused midstep and looked over at the tall Hufflepuff. Mingyu’s face was taut and he looked almost scared to step closer. This was a new development considering the boy was one of Kihyun’s prodigious students.

Joshua gave Mingyu’s arm a playful nudge before he asked, “What’s wrong? You’re acting like Professor Kihyun teaches Herbology.”

Mingyu’s lips curled into a pout at the joke. He held Dorito closer to his chest and let out a sigh. “Seokmin begged me to be his partner last week because I owed him one. He was in charge of collecting ingredients, and let’s just say it didn’t end well.”

“It can’t be that bad.” Joshua tired for a convincing, supportive smile.

But Mingyu wasn’t buying it. He looked him dead in the eyes as he explained in detail. “My grade is going to drop from Outstanding to Troll because Seokmin had to bump into me at the wrong time. I added too much vitriol at once and boom, we had to evacuate the Potions room while Professor Kihyun and some house elves got rid of fumes.”

The Ravenclaw boy did his best to hide his wince. Maybe it was a little bad.

“Professor Kihyun might be uptight, but you’re one of his best students. He might be a little hard on you for a while for screwing up, but he adores both you and Seokmin. There is no way he’d give you a Troll.” Joshua wasn’t sure where the encouraging words came from, but he felt like that was what Mingyu needed to hear.

To Joshua’s surprise, Mingyu actually seemed to perk up after hearing it. “You really think so?”

Before he could reply, the two of them felt the weight of the professor’s gaze fixate on them.

“You brought friends?” the professor asked Sewoon as he tersely raised a brow at Mingyu and Joshua.

Sewoon smiled as if he hadn’t noticed the edge in Kihyun’s voice. “I know I said I’d take only Gwanghyun, but I was wondering if I could take my other friends along as well.”

The pink-haired man’s expression grew apologetic as he frowned at Sewoon. “I don’t think I’ll be able to fit them in the carriage. The one I managed to bribe from the groundskeeper doesn’t have enough room.”

“Not enough room? Is there someone you’re waiting for, Professor?” Sewoon asked, noticing how Kihyun kept looking past them.

The Potions professor sighed, glaring at his wristwatch again. “Changkyun and his friend should be here by now, it’s already 8:30. Have any of you see them?”

Sewoon glanced at their direction with an inquiring look. Gwanghyun raised his shoulders while both Joshua and Mingyu shook their heads, causing Professor Kihyun to suddenly groan in exasperation.

Just when it seemed like Professor Kihyun was about to pull his hair out of its follicles, a flying object drew closer to them, coming in at high speeds. Even from this distance, Joshua was able to make out that it was a broom carrying two people, one screaming in terror and the other laughing maniacally. Familiar blue Ravenclaw scarves fluttered as they whizzed by.

It took Joshua all of two seconds to figure out exactly who was on that broom and he wasn’t sure if he was appropriate to laugh.

There was strain in Joshua’s voice as he physically held back while pointing at the duo.. “Uh, Professor, I think I found Changkyun…”

Professor Kihyun’s hair flared a more vivid pink as his eye narrowed on the disappearing broom. His face began to match the color of his hair as he yelled, “Changkyun! Get back here, you brat!”

Changkyun disregarded the threat, not stopping or even looking back as he called, “See you there, Kihyun!”

His reply echoed in the wind, leaving the other four students somewhat shell-shocked.

“D-did he just call the professor without calling him P-Professor?” Gwanghyun stammered, gawking at the broom shrinking from their sights.

“I-I think he did,” Mingyu replied, jaw dropped as well. “I’m even more amazed he managed to get Wonwoo on a broom this time.”

“Unbelievable. If he was going there by broom, he should have bothered to tell me,” Professor Kihyun muttered, more to himself than to the students around him. The pink-haired professor let out a long exhale before looking over at Sewoon. “Looks like there’s room for your friends after all.”

Sewoon clasped his hands together. “Thank you so much, Professor.”

“Let’s go,” the professor sighed as he hurriedly ushered the small group towards carriage.

This was probably the most awkward carriage ride Joshua had lived through. And he’d been in a carriage next to Seungcheol and Jeonghan while they were giving each other goo goo eyes. The air seemed to have frozen them all in place. No one spoke, or even dared breathe too loudly so as to not upset Professor Kihyun. The Metamorphmagus’ normally pink hair was growing dangerously red as the wheels bumped against the forest brush.

In the silence, Sewoon and Gwanghyun had slowly dozed off, lulled by the eventual soft motions of the carriage. Joshua would have thought it was adorable the way they were leaning on one another. But they sat next to Professor Kihyun, who was content on glaring straight ahead at the empty space in front of him which happened to be right next to Joshua. The eldest had unconsciously crowded up against Mingyu’s side to avoid being fried alive by the Professor’s gaze. Joshua thanked his lucky stars Mingyu didn’t seem to mind.  In fact, it seemed the larger boy understood his predicament and scooted further into his corner to give Joshua more room.

The only, truly happy rider on that carriage was Dorito. He’d managed to hog both Mingyu and Joshua’s laps. He’d stretched himself to where his swaddle came undone at the top. His fuzzy head nuzzled into Mingyu’s welcoming palms while simultaneously kicking Joshua in the ribs. The Ravenclaw glared at his cat as he held back a grunt.

Mingyu must have come from the stars because he managed to notice Joshua’s discomfort yet again. The Hufflepuff wordlessly unraveled his scarf, folding it into a soft pillow before putting it between Dorito’s hind leg and Joshua’s abdomen.

He wordlessly smiled at Joshua expressing he knew how Dorito got when he was excited. Looking into Mingyu’s eyes, seeing how close he was, made heat rise to his cheeks. For a sliver of a second, Joshua felt his heart race.

“Here we are, Professor Kihyun,” called the carriage coachman. Joshua could hear the older man whisper to himself _Finally_ and _Wait until I get my hands on Changkyun_ before nudging Sewoon and Gwanghyun gently into wakefulness. As the three of them left the carriage, Joshua unraveled Mingyu’s folded scarf and handed it back to the younger boy.

“It’s going to be chilly again,” Joshua smiled, watching Mingyu eye the scarf before looking back at him. “Thanks for that.”

“No problem,” Mingyu replied. If Joshua wasn’t mistaken, the boy’s cheeks were growing pinker. Probably because of the open carriage door, as he noticed the tip of Gwanghyun’s nose was crimson despite his thick scarf and sweater. Sewoon, on the other hand, was very rosy cheeked from the lack of thick winter wear, and was currently being scolded by the younger boy about it.

“Gosh, how could you forget your scarf? And that sweater’s too thin,” Gwanghyun sighed. He held out one long and loose end of his scarf to the Slytherin boy.

“Aren’t you going to offer me the entire thing?” Sewoon laughed, earning him an eye roll from the young Hufflepuff.

“No way.” Gwanghyun shook his head, still holding out the fabric. “You know I go super red from the cold.”

Sewoon shook his head as moved closer to Gwanghyun. He took the end of the scarf being offered to him and draping it back over the younger boy’s shoulders. “Then keep it.”

Beside Joshua, Mingyu slowly began unwrapping his scarf. “You can borrow my scarf, Sewoon.”

With a calm smile and a quick shake of the head, Sewoon politely declined, “I’m okay.”

When the group reached the snow covered stairs that led up to arena, they split off, climbing at their own pace. Kihyun took the lead, trudging ahead with purpose. Sewoon and Gwanghyun maintained a good distance from the professor and each other as they ascended. Mingyu remained at Joshua’s side, holding Dorito like a baby as the cat slumbered in his arms. The pose seemed so natural that Joshua wondered if Mingyu might have little siblings he took care of.

The familiar hiss of bluebell flames igniting drew Joshua’s attention. His eyes moved to Sewoon, who surrounded himself with the hovering small fires to keep warm. At first Joshua simply found it fascinating that someone else would use that charm the same way he did, but when Gwanghyun moved closer to Sewoon and threw his unusually long scarf over the boy’s shoulders, Joshua felt his insides twist.

Seeing them stand next to one another wrapped up in one scarf sent Joshua’s mind back in a time when he was younger and far less heartbroken.His simple sweater and robes weren’t enough to fight off the autumn chill as he walked towards the school greenhouses for Herbology. With his breath visible he cast multiple bluebell flames to halt the frost that threatened to freeze him solid.  The flames had kept him warm until he felt a jacket plop onto his shoulders. All Joshua had to do back then was look to his side to find Seungcheol teasing him as he smiled with abandon.

Joshua blankly stared at younger students in front of him while the bittersweet memories lingered in his mind. Even though it had been years since that moment, Seungcheol’s smile was ingrained into Joshua’s memory. It made him wonder how long had it been since Seungcheol beamed at him like that.

Lost in thought, Joshua missed an uneven step and started to fall forward. He expected to collide with the cold steps, but instead he found his face pressed against the soft wool of a sweater. Joshua slowly peeled himself off his savior’s chest and looked up to find Mingyu’s face wrinkled with worry.

“Sorry about that,” Joshua said while he gripped Mingyu’s arm for balance, letting go when he’d steadied himself. In Mingyu’s other hand, Dorito mewled angrily after being woken from his nap.

“No problem at all,” Mingyu replied as he let go of Joshua’s arm. He looked like he’d been about to move out of Joshua’s way, but he remained in his path with a determined look on his face. The boy nervously licked his lips before he asked, “Um… I’ve been meaning to ask, but are you feeling okay? You look kind of pale.”

The look Mingyu was giving him was so kind and supportive that Joshua wondered if he should just tell him the truth. But Mingyu didn’t deserve to be burdened with the baggage Joshua had been holding on to. Even though he felt reluctant, Joshua fed Mingyu another white lie and shivered for effect.

“Just a little cold.” He gave Mingyu his best fake cheery smile which he seemed to buy.

The Hufflepuff stepped out of his path, returned to his side.

They started to climb again when warm fabric settled itself around Joshua’s shoulders. He looked down and saw one end of a yellow striped scarf on his shoulder. Following the cloth, he looked up at Mingyu.

“My scarf’s not as long as Gwanghyun’s, but I thought maybe we could share as well,” Mingyu laughed retaining his smile as they climbed in unison.

A strong sense of deja vu hit Joshua as his heart started to beat a little faster. He silently stared at Mingyu for longer than necessary before murmuring, “Thanks.”

Looking ahead, Joshua saw that their companions had nearly reached the summit, but despite that, he felt content as he wrapped himself in Mingyu’s scarf.

Their pace was slow as they climbed given that their height difference didn’t allow for much distance. By the time they’d reached the arena, their stomachs and mouths hurt from laughing at their predicament, but neither of them had planned to keep the whole scarf. The atmosphere around them was comfortable, at least, especially when Mingyu began to babble excitedly about the arena’s stony exterior and incredible height. Joshua had to admit how adorable Mingyu sounded for being so awed with the size of the place and how Hogwarts managed to prepare such a structure without students knowing, even though they’d been surrounded by magic for years already.

They made their way up the steps into the arena and saw only a handful of students and staff fill the stone benches of the spectator area. To their left, Joshua could see Changkyun being yelled at by Kihyun, the former’s calm expression highly contrasting the professor’s deep scowl. To their right, Sewoon was handing over a handful of coins to a vendor of the Honeydukes concession while Gwanghyun carried what seemed to be a large pack of Cauldron Cakes. At the very bottom of the arena, in the front row, Seokmin was waving his banner at them.

Mingyu for some reason seemed reluctant to approach his best friend. Joshua wasn’t sure why until he saw the shit-eating grin on Seokmin’s face when they drew closer. The other Hufflepuff kept his kilowatt grin on his face as he kept his eye fixed on Mingyu.

“Could have sworn you two left before me, how in the world did you arrive here after me?” Seokmin greeted them when they finally made their way down the stands.

“Carriage troubles,” Mingyu lied, surprising Joshua.

Somehow, Seokmin still picked up on it, obvious with how he smiled even wider. “I see…” he said, sounding unconvinced. A wicked fire filled his eyes as he looked at Mingyu’s scarf and playfully asked, “Should I have saved a seat for Joshua as well?”

“No!” Mingyu almost screamed, lurching forward slightly. He straightened himself and cleared his throat. In his arms, Dorito mewled and even glanced up at Mingyu. “I mean, you won’t have to. Give my seat to Jeonghan when he gets here.”

“Oh~” Seokmin mused, stressing the syllable in a sing-song way. His grin was so wide it dominated his face. “Okay. Sure. I’ll give your seat to Jeonghan.”

Joshua had never seen Mingyu glare at anyone the way he was glaring at Seokmin in that moment. The latter didn’t even seem fazed by it as he wiggled his eyebrows back at his best friend. It was such a first for Joshua.

Seokmin’s laugh rang through the air as he called after them. “Have fun, you two!”

“What was that all about?” Joshua asked as they turned away from Seokmin.

Mingyu’s face was red as he spoke through his teeth, “No idea.”

Mingyu huffed and looked back at Joshua, scowl fading. “Um, where do you want to sit?”

Joshua pursed his lips. “Towards the front,” he finally decided. If he was here to watch, then he might as well see everything up close. Mingyu nodded and gestured at Joshua to move back up the stairs so they could maneuver around more easily, considering how the front row in this part of the area was filled with Seungcheol Support Squad members.

They walked around to reach the next seating block of the area, spotting Wonwoo drinking a hot beverage in an Aynsley tea cup at the front row. Mingyu’s eyes quickly lit up, and Joshua followed the younger boy’s lead. It didn’t seem like Wonwoo was saving a seat for a large group of people despite the only other occupants were Sewoon and Gwanghyun, who were both now at the other end of the row. But of course, it probably was a given Wonwoo was saving a seat for Changkyun.

“Is pumpkin juice not good enough for you, Wonwoo?” Mingyu amicably teased, catching the sixth year Ravenclaw’s attention.

“You’d think in your five years of knowing me you’d learn that I abhor the taste,” Wonwoo shot back, taking another posh sip from his cup. Joshua found himself holding back laughter at the exchange.

“Yes, and in five years of knowing you, I thought you would at least sit with some friends.”

“Can’t you see I have all the company I need?” He gestured to the empty seats around him.

“So, you’re saving that seat next to you for Changkyun when he comes back from being lectured by his mom?” Mingyu smiled cheekily.

“No. Why would you assume I am sitting with him?” Wonwoo sounded too defensive as he pulled the coat he placed on the bench at his left onto his lap. “Also, if he’s in trouble, he deserves it. That jerk tricked me into flying with him when he knows I have a deathly fear of it.”

“You know Ravenclaw could lose house points for it?” the young Hufflepuff said. Joshua smacked him lightly in the arm with how jokingly hopeful Mingyu sounded with that.

“What is the House Cup really worth anyways?” Wonwoo disdainfully sighed.

“Who are you and what have you done with Wonwoo?” Mingyu mock-gasped, trying to grab at Wonwoo’s collar, but Joshua stopped him. The older boy shook his head and tugged Mingyu’s sleeve.

“How about we sit down before you continue that philosophical conversation you’re having?” he grinned. Receiving an embarrassed smile as a reply, he and Mingyu snagged the two seats at Wonwoo’s right.

It wasn’t until he sat down that Joshua noticed that the arena wasn’t actually open air. Though the arena was outfitted like a collusium, there had to be a magical barrier around the place. It was the only way the  temperature in the stands could remain mild. This didn’t surprise Joshua. Under the new Minister of Magic, safety regulation had been adjusted to suit the times. Ever since the dragon escaped the stadium in Harry Potter’s days, the Ministry mandated that no creatures should be able to exit the the arena. Even with magic, covering up  the damage caused by a highly dangerous beast was a costly headache.  

For the wellbeing of both the creature and the audience, all deadly attacks were focused solely on the field. There were some fans who claimed they wished to feel fire being blown in their faces but most people agreed that this method was safer for everyone. Joshua put himself in the latter category. He could never understand why people willing threw themselves into a thing like this for money and fame when there were other, far safer, ways to earn those.

Joshua checked his pocket watch and saw they still had an hour until the first task began. He found it odd that no one was moving around in the pit below. It was empty, save for a platform erected at the center of the ring that looked almost like cliffside structure. _Very much like a griffin’s nest_ , Joshua thought.

It seemed that Changkyun’s hint had been correct, and that made Joshua all the more nervous. The contestants likely had to grab something from the nest and griffins did not take kindly to unwanted visitors. Especially ones after their stuff.

As stressed as Joshua was about how Seungcheol would fare, this was now out of his hands. All he could do was watch and pray to Merlin, like everyone else. To distract himself from looking down at the pit Joshua got up. He didn’t realize he still had Mingyu’s scarf around his neck until the fabric was tugged as he rose. 

“Going somewhere?” Mingyu asked,  as he moved to get out of his seat as well. But Joshua held him down. The older boy unwrapped the end of the scarf around his neck and placed it on Mingyu’s lap where Dorito was still napping.

“My appetite seems to have returned, so I’m going to get us some snacks. Do you mind staying here and watching Dorito for me?” Mingyu immediately beams at him and gives an obedient nod. Joshua hated to take advantage of the boy like this, but he knew Mingyu wouldn’t say no or bother following him.

The Ravenclaw was indebted to Mingyu in too many ways, he figured he could at least start repaying him with food. And though he would buy the food eventually, Joshua decided to take the long way around to the vendors. Sometimes being a Ravenclaw felt like a curse. It meant he thought too much about everything, but especially the odds and how they were stacked up against his favor. The sooner this competition was over, the sooner Joshua would feel like he could breathe properly.

As he passed the now-filled benches to get to the concessions, Joshua noticed Jeonghan nestled between Seokmin and some Slytherin. Everyone around him seemed to be fascinated by whatever he was saying. Joshua thought it was good that at least the Seungcheol Support Squad was keeping Jeonghan from having a nervous breakdown. He could almost bet that Jeonghan adored the amount of attention he was receiving.

It took way longer than it should have for Joshua to return to his seat with two large bags of kettle corn and some cotton candy. It didn’t help that he ended up chatting with Minghao when the boy arrived at the same snacks stall. And while Joshua expected the Gryffindor to join him back to greet Mingyu, Minghao calmly smiled and said he had time to bother Mingyu about a lot of things later.

“You’re back!” Mingyu greeted brightly as he continued to pet the still sleeping Dorito.

To his amusement, Changkyun was already on the seat Wonwoo claimed he hadn’t been saving for his friend. The Ravenclaw boy must have returned in the time that he’d been gone. The caramel haired boy gave Joshua an acknowledging nod before he passed by, nodding back as he sunk into his seat. The moment he’d settled himself, Joshua turned to Mingyu and held up one bag of kettle corn.

“I heard you liked this,” he said, gesturing for Mingyu to take it.

Mingyu stared at the bag in front of him. He turned to Joshua, looking both grateful and confused.  

Joshua saw the question in his eyes and before he could ask, the Ravenclaw spoke. “Thanks for looking after Dorito and lending me your scarf.”

“It was no trouble, really. You didn’t have to get anything for me” The tall boy tried to wave him off. He seemed to curl into himself, shying away from Joshua. Maybe Mingyu felt burdened by gifts?

“This is more than I could ever finish alone,” Joshua said, knowing Mingyu hated wasting food.

“If you insist,” the Hufflepuff mumbled in acceptance as he reached out and took the bag.

Small weights lifted from Joshua’s chest as he saw Mingyu happily munch on the popcorn. Joshua would have hated it he had nothing to offer for all the trouble Mingyu had gone through for him today. He never wanted to feel entitled to the things people had done for him.

Joshua was pulled from his thoughts as cannon blasts rang through the air. He sat up straight, drawing his attention to the center of the arena as the announcer’s voice came through the speakers. Joshua wasn’t really paying attention as the sponsors and ministry representatives introduced themselves. He looked behind them as the staff carefully transported a griffin into the nest, the creature only awoken when all the speakers were done with their speeches.

The arena was unnaturally quiet as the griffin lifted its head. Joshua swallowed as he saw the massive size of the beast. It was beautiful yet terrifying creature that truly lives up to its title as the King of Beasts and Birds. Its silvery feathers flashed in the sun as its sharp eyes studied the crowd and its lion tail swished with poise. Gasps echoed through the crowd as it rose from resting position. The griffin took one more look at the arena before it let out a roar so loud the entire structure shook.

Goosebumps covered Joshua’s skin. Drawings in textbooks definitely did not do griffins justice. Joshua had always assumed griffins couldn’t be too different from hippogriffs, but here in the arena stood a griffin to prove him wrong. Judging by the amount of space it took, even from afar, Joshua could see this griffin was easily the size of a small dragon. Its talons looked larger and sharper in comparison to anything Joshua had seen on a hippogriff. One scratch from those claws would be enough to send anyone straight to the St. Mungo's Emergency Ward. But the most subtle yet most prominent difference between the two was the look in the griffin’s eyes. Joshua was by no means an expert, but he could tell the tricks and tips the students had learned from school wouldn’t be able quell this beast.

The announcer’s voice droned over the speakers again as he explained the gist of the First Task. The champions, meanwhile, had drawn lots back in the champions’ preparation tent to select the order which they went in the arena. Whoever went first had the benefit of picking from three different satchels to retrieve in order to complete the task, while the last champion would have to take whatever stachel was left.

Retrieving a satchel from the griffin seemed challenging enough, but something told Joshua there had to be a catch.

His hunch was confirmed when the first champion stepped out onto the field. The moment Dongo, the Durmstrang champion, first set foot onto the arena grounds, everything turned to ice. Galleon-sized hail poured from the arena dome’s enchanted ceiling as large frozen rocks rose in every corner. Wind whipped through the central arena and Joshua had never been more glad that the barriers were implemented. The audience might not have been able to physically feel the blizzard-like conditions, but they were certainly able to see them as Dongho carefully worked his way towards the nest. He kept himself grounded by grappling to the rocks with what appeared to be an invisible rope charm.

Dongho didn’t seem at all concerned by his surrounding or the beast as he easily approached the nest. He’d moved swiftly across the field with the thick white coat he’d transfigured from his jacket. It was almost hard to distinguish his form until he stood against the black rocks of the griffin’s perch. Just when Joshua thought he might have some trouble, the Durmstrang champion surprised him once again by effortlessly climbing the rock. Without the griffin even being aware of his presence, Dongho managed to take the satchel using that same rope charm.

From across the stadium, the Durmstrang students were cheering loudly for Dongho. Somehow, Minki’s voice could be heard over everyone else’s. Even from afar, Joshua could make out that Minki’s eyes were filled with pride and knowingness that he felt envious. Seeing Dongho smile back and wave at the crowd as the announcer prattled on about how incredible the champion was made the fact sink in, that whatever Minki had said when they’d met earlier hadn’t been all talk. Dongho was truly a formidable opponent - one Joshua wasn’t sure if Seungcheol could match.

After a short interval of time, the staff had cleared the rubble created in Dongho’s turn. With that, they were able to sound the cannons that announced the next contestant’s turn. Joshua held his breath as he saw the bars of the gates rise. He let out a disappointed exhale when the blue-jacketed Beauxbatons champion entered the field.

Joshua tried to watch with interest as the champion faced off against both the griffin and violent sandstorm. But the swirling sands and endless winds that erupted across the stadium moved with such intensity that the events going on below almost impossible to see. From the speakers, the announcer depicted the champion’s struggles as they fumbled and fought the griffin. Joshua was hardly paying any attention to it all while the knot in his stomach started to grow. At first he was relieved that not everyone seemed to be as adept as Dongho, but the more he heard of how the champion struggled, the more worried he became.

When the finally champion caught the satchel and the sandstorm died, Joshua couldn’t hold back his gasp. The champion had been completely mauled by the griffin. A large slit now gushed on the side of their cheek and their arm hung limply to the side. From their stance, it seemed they barely managed to stand on their feet. Though it could have been worse, it starkly contrasted fresh-faced Dongho who hardly seemed to break a sweat. The victory didn’t encour much pomp and circumstance as the champion was quickly rushed off the field. Staff flooded the pit below and began to arrange the stage for the final champion.

Suddenly, Joshua wished the Beauxbaton champion had taken longer. It made him feel ill just knowing that in just a few minutes, it was Seungcheol’s turn to face the griffin out there in the arena. Joshua’s fists curled around the bag of popcorn in his arms to the point the contents were crushed into crumbs. Every inch of him was consumed with anxiety until he felt a rough, wet sensation at his fingertips.

Joshua tore his gaze from the pit and turned to look at his mischievous cat. Dorito was sticking his head out of the makeshift swaddle to nip at Joshua’s fingers. Mingyu didn’t seem to realize what Dorito was doing until he felt Joshua’s gaze on him. The Hufflepuff turned his face from the field and looked to Joshua, confused at first. He looked down at Dorito who was still gnawing at Joshua’s fingers. The look on the Hufflepuff’s face was so comically apologetic that Joshua found it hard to hold back his laughter. For the briefest of moments, Joshua’s heart had rid itself of worry and pain, letting Joshua feel unadulterated joy.

Both his and Mingyu’s attentions were drawn back to the arena as the cannons were fired. Behind the gate, the was a clear outline of Seungcheol’s silhouette. As they rose, Joshua’s heart sank nauseatingly low into his stomach. Seungcheol looked out into the field wearing an expression Joshua hadn’t seen in a long time.

Steadfast determination was pressed across the Gryffindor’s face. It was a look he wore whenever he wanted to win, no matter the cost. At the core of his golden heart was a stubbornness that had brought Seungcheol both the best and the worst outcomes. Joshua could only hope that Seungcheol brought more than just his desire to win.

As Seungcheol crossed the threshold, the sky darkened, releasing a deafening boom that shook the stadium. Heavy rain pelted the rocky field in front of him as the clouds rumbled above, but Seungcheol remained unwavering, walking out into the thunderstorm.

Every hair on Joshua’s arm stood up from the static energy that filtered through the barrier. Unrelenting lighting crashed into the grounds as the skies shook with thunder. Just sitting there in the spectator area already felt unsafe. Joshua couldn’t imagine how Seungcheol felt in the middle of nearly open field, with only rocks surrounding him. Thankfully Seungcheol seemed to be laying low, remaining calm as he cast spells on the rocks at the furthest edges of the pit.

Joshua wondered what he was thinking, attacking rocks instead of doing something about the lightning. But it seemed Seunghceol was going about this challenge with more brains than brawn. As more lightning struck, Joshua noticed it was only striking the rocks which Seungcheol had cast a spell on. Though it was hard to distinguish at first, Joshua noticed the metallic brown color of the rocks which contrasted the jet black that filled the rest of the field. Suddenly, he recalled a Transfiguration class from their third year where they leaned to turn stone to copper. The Ravenclaw couldn’t believe that Seungcheol had managed to remember that spell, let alone remember it was a good conductor for electricity. He was given little time to admire Seungcheol’s handiwork as the Gryffindor was nearly blown back by a violent gust of wind, one that had not come from the storm.

From its nest, the griffin agitatedly flapped its wings. A fierce rage burned in its eyes as its gaze focused on Seongcheol. Joshua felt his blood go cold as he remembered Changkyun’s words. _Griffins are territorial._ It felt unfair that Seungcheol went last. Not only did he face the harshest storm, but the griffin was completely aware of what Seungcheol was there to do.

Most sane people would have been downright terrified at the site of such a monster sending out a warning, but Seungcheol, being Seungcheol, only grinned.

Joshua wished he’d heeded the warning more cautiously because the beast then squaked angrily before flying out of its nest. It began to circle Seungcheol from the skies like a bird of prey and the tension could be felt throughout the crowd. This was the first time the griffin had left its nest. This was the only time it had actively seeked out one of the champions.

To the left, where the staff were seated, Joshua saw his teachers and the Ministry staff exchanging nervous words. The Triwizard Tournament was not meant to be easy. Each contestant knew what they were getting themselves into when they wrote their names in pieces of parchments to throw into the Goblet of Fire. They could easily lose a limb, or possibly their lives.

As the griffin swooped in to attack, Joshua prayed that neither would happen to Seungcheol.

The Gryffindor seemed prepared as he steadied himself against a rock. As the beast drew nearer, he shouted a spell, causing a stream of fire to flow from his wand. The griffin’s momentum was too great for it completely avoid the fire. It was barely able to adjust its wings to fly upwards and in the process ended up singing its hind legs. Joshua winced as the beast’s shrill cry echoed throughout the arena before it increased its speed and circled Seungcheol again. When it moved to strike, it used its weight to its advantage, its acceleration too quick for Seungcheol to cast a spell. It was barely enough time for him to manage ducking and rolling out of the way as the beast’s claws obliterated the rock he had been standing against.    

Sharp shards of rock grazed Seungcheol’s arms and back as he covered himself. When he stood back up, Joshua could see the blood dripping down the Gryffindor’s limbs. As the beast pulled itself out of the rubble and faced Seungcheol again, Joshua thought his heart might stop.

Right before it lunged with its razor sharp beak, Seungcheol cast a levitation spell on the debris. The griffin yowled ferociously as it took steps away from Seungcheol. It landed on its hind legs, irritating the fresh wound in the process, making it cry out and pitifully flap its wings to escape Seungcheol. The beast was unaware that it had backed itself near one of the rocks which Seungcheol had turned to copper. It realized its mistake too late as lightning rained from above, striking right next to where the beast stood. Stray sparks fizzled against the griffin’s feathers causing the beast even more pain. It began to cry again and Joshua found himself feeling pity for a beast that had nearly killed Seungcheol.

Seungcheol, on the other hand, didn’t so much as look back at the griffin as he made his way to the nest. With his injuries, it took the boy a lot longer than it would have to reach it. At the other block of the area, Jeonghan and the Seungcheol Support Squad cheered wildly for the Hogwarts champion as he made his way to the nest and picked up the last remaining satchel.

The Gryffindor triumphantly held the bag up for his fellow students and was met with boisterous applause. Seungcheol’s eyes were twinkling as he relished in his victory. The cheers were nearly loud enough to cover up the shouts coming from one of the stands.

While the crowd had been distracted by Seungcheol, the griffin had managed to fly again. The look in its eyes was even more murderious than before. From the staff area, a familiar blond man yelled as he jumped into the pit. Joshua guessed it was the griffin’s caretaker, likely calling for the beast to stand down. And as much as Joshua hoped it would listen, the griffin seemed to have locked its gaze on Seungcheol.

The next few seconds felt too fast and too slow at the same time. Joshua could see the pride in Seungcheol’s eyes transform into fear as the beast drew nearer to him. He heard Jeonghan scream for Seungcheol. He heard the trainer cast a spell. Chains reached out to grab the griffin before it could reach the champion. It roared indignantly, thrashing against its bindings to try and reach Seungcheol, but the trainer kept a strong grip on its reigns.

Cheers rose up again as it seemed like the griffin had stopped fighting. But the crowd was quickly silenced as the griffin let out a thunderous roar, overpowering the sound of its clanking chains. The chains would not extend any further but that didn’t mean the beast could not attack the rock structure itself. No one had time to react as the beast dove down and rammed into the perch. Joshua hardly registered screaming for Seungcheol, helplessly watching as both the nest and the champion fell to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ramenrulz8P] Hello everyone! It's nice to finally meet you all XD I usually just brain stormed with cravatty and sometimes added parts if she needed me to, but last year she got super busy. So, I hijacked the fanfic XD It kept taking a long time to finish because life + wanting to add more content to make the chapter feel whole (and that's how we got this 11k chapter) XD And yes, it might be a lot of stuff for just one chapter, but it felt wrong cutting off at any other point. I know this chapter might look a lot different from the previous ones (not only in size) since I'm not on cravatty's level but I will strive to get there XD 
> 
> We will try to update more frequently now that we've gotten past this monster of a first task (which was just as challenging for me to write as it was for the contestants). Please look forward to our future updates ^_^ 
> 
> P.S.: I apologize to jihancheol fans because I'm a cruel and evil angst writer who won't let them get back together. That ending was all me (but don't worry, he lived)
> 
> P.P.S.: Yes, we added people from Produce 101 too. It was just supposed to be the Starship babies and Nu'EST, but because I'm here you might be seeing some more P101S2 boys in the future XD
> 
> P.P.P.S.: What'd you guys think of the action sequence? Was it okay? Did you like it?


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